Kevin Bui, now 20, pleaded guilty on Friday, May 17, 2024 to two counts of second-degree murder for his role in a 2020 house fire that killed five members of a Senegalese family in Denver, Colorado. The incident, driven by a misguided attempt at revenge over a stolen iPhone, has left a lasting impact on the local community and the victims’ families.
Bui, who was 16 at the time, and his two friends, Gavin Seymour and Dillon Siebert, believed that the thief who had taken Bui’s phone was hiding in the home of Djibril Diol. Bui tracked the stolen phone near Diol’s residence using the Find My iPhone app. The trio then spent weeks planning their revenge, which culminated in a deadly act of arson.
On the night of the fire, August 5, 2020, the three teenagers donned hockey masks, broke into the Diol home through the back door, and doused the walls with gasoline. The blaze they set quickly consumed the house, trapping the family inside. Djibril Diol, 29, his wife Adja, 23, their 21-month-old daughter Khadija, Djibril’s sister Hassan, 25, and her 6-month-old daughter Hawa were all killed. Three other residents managed to escape by jumping from a second-story window.
“I still remember the terror of that night,” said a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous. “We heard the screams and saw the flames. It’s something you can’t ever forget.”
The investigation into the fire initially stalled, with few leads. However, detectives eventually obtained a search warrant for Google’s records, identifying IP addresses that had searched for the home’s address in the days before the fire. This digital trail led police to Bui, Seymour, and Siebert.
In January 2021, the trio was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree murder and arson. Under a plea deal, Bui pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, resulting in a 60-year prison sentence. In return, prosecutors agreed to drop 60 additional charges against him.
Seymour, who was also 16 at the time of the crime, had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 40-year sentence. Siebert, the youngest at just 14, was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention followed by seven years in state prison.
“The plea deal was difficult but necessary,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “While the victims’ families initially hoped for life sentences, they ultimately supported the agreement, understanding the complexities of juvenile sentencing laws.”
Bui remained mostly silent throughout the trial, offering brief responses to the judge’s questions. None of the victims’ family members were present in the courtroom; they chose to watch the proceedings via a livestream.
“This has been an incredibly painful journey,” said a family spokesperson. “We have sought justice for our loved ones and hope that this sentence brings some closure.”
The fire had not only devastated the Diol family but also sent shockwaves through Denver’s West African community, who feared that the attack might have been a targeted hate crime. The prolonged legal process and the eventual conviction of the perpetrators have provided some reassurance, though the pain of loss remains.
Using a controversial search warrant to obtain Google’s data played a critical role in solving the case. This warrant, which required Google to provide information on anyone who had searched for the Diol home’s address, was upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court despite concerns about privacy and constitutional rights.
“The digital evidence was crucial in identifying the suspects,” said Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen. “This case highlights the evolving nature of criminal investigations in the digital age.”
As Kevin Bui awaits formal sentencing on June 2, the community continues to mourn the loss of a family taken too soon.