Teens Responsible for Deadly Denver House Fire Charged as Adults
Three teens have been identified as the arsonists behind a house fire that killed five family members on August 5, 2020.
Two of the teenagers have been identified as 16-year-olds, Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour. Both are being charged as adults. The third suspect, who is 15 years old, has not had his name released because he is a minor.
The blaze which roared in the early hours of August 5 in a quiet suburb of Denver, Colorado, claimed five lives, including 29-year-old Djibril Diol, his wife 23-year-old Adja Diol, and their two-year-old daughter, Khadija Diol. Adja Diol’s sister Hassan Diol, 25, lived with the family along with her infant daughter. Both perished in the blaze as well. Three other family members were in the home at the time of the fire, but they were able to escape by jumping out of a window on the second floor.
The death of the family rocked the Denver Senegalese community. Members of the community feared that the family was targeted because of their Muslim background. The Diol family had immigrated from Senegal as refugees after a border war with neighboring Mauritania broke out.
A friend of the family, Amandou Dieg, who also immigrated to Colorado from Senegal, shared with NBC News, “It was just a happy family that was getting everything together and starting a happy life." Dieg adds, “If it’s not a bias crime, it’s still a crime. It’s hard for people in the community to feel safe.”
Leads into who caused the fire were few and far between in the early stages of the investigation. After several rewards were offered to the public, a break came in the case in late January that led to the arrest of the three teens.
While it was initially suspected that the family was the target of a hate crime, local news outlets on Wednesday began reporting that the teens mistook the home for a house that they were trying to retaliate against. According to a local news station, the teens were looking to get revenge on a drug dealer after a drug deal went sour. Instead of targeting the home of the drug dealer, the teens accidentally set the Diol residence on fire.
Teens Face Hefty charges
The two 16-year-olds are being charged as adults in the case and both face a total of 60 counts, including charges of attempted murder with extreme indifference, first-degree murder with extreme indifference, and burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.
The 15-year-old who will be tried as a juvenile is facing 47 counts. His charges include first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree and second-degree assault, first and fourth-degree arson, first and second-degree burglary, conspiracy charges, and a sentence enhancer as an aggravated juvenile offender. Additionally, the DA's office is pushing for the 15-year-old teen to be tried as an adult.
In what appears to be an unrelated charge, a family member of 16-year-old Kevin Bui is also facing criminal charges. Twenty-three-year-old Tanya Bui is the sister of Kevin Bui and is currently behind bars awaiting a court hearing on drug-related charges. Prior to the arson, Tanya Bui was arrested with a substantial amount of drugs including marijuana, fentanyl, and other substances. It is unclear if Bui played a role in the arson; however, there is suspicion that she was part of the planning before and after the accident occurred. Bowie was arrested the same day as her brother and the other two teens.
In a press release by Denver Police Chief, Paul M. Pazen shares, “Our homicide team, along with our partners at the ATF, the U.S. Secret Service and the Denver Fire Department, worked tirelessly to identify those responsible for this horrible crime.
Pazen adds, “This was as complex of an investigation as I am aware of in my entire career. They did an amazing job. I cannot give away the details. This is very sensitive information because successful prosecution is critical in this case.”
