DENVER, CO – A Colorado resident, Kevin Bui, has admitted to setting a family’s home on fire, resulting in the tragic loss of five lives, including a toddler and an infant. Bui’s motive was revenge for a stolen cellphone, although the victims had no connection to the theft.
Bui was suspected to be the leader of a group of three arsonists. He used the “Find My iPhone” app to trace his stolen phone, mistakenly identifying the victims’ home as the location of the theft in 2020. The group meticulously planned the arson attack for weeks, as evidenced by text messages and social media posts, including a Snapchat message from Bui hinting at their destructive intentions.
Now 20 years old, Bui was the last of the three friends to admit guilt for the 2020 arson that resulted in five deaths. The Denver District Attorney’s Office made the announcement last Friday. As part of his plea agreement, Bui will serve a 60-year prison sentence, and in return, 60 criminal charges against him were dropped.
The fire claimed the lives of Djibril “Jibby” Diol, his wife Adja, their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija, as well as Diol’s sister, Hassan, and her 6-month-old daughter, Hawa Beye. Three other individuals managed to escape by leaping from a second-floor window, but sustained injuries in the process.
The fire began around 2:40 a.m. on August 5, 2020, and was spotted by a Denver police officer who was forced back by the extreme heat when he tried to enter the burning home. Despite the firefighters’ valiant efforts, it was too late to save the five family members who had gone to bed hours earlier.
Security footage captured three suspects, faces hidden by hockey masks, fleeing the scene. The video showed them breaking into the home, dousing the living room walls with gasoline, and igniting the accelerant in a calculated and planned attack.
By January 2021, Bui, along with accomplices Gavin Seymour and Dillon Siebert, were arrested and charged in connection with the arson and murders. Seymour and Siebert have also pleaded guilty and received their respective sentences.