Kevin Bui, a 20-year-old man, has been convicted for his role in a deadly arson attack that claimed the lives of five family members in Colorado. The attack, which took place in 2020, was reportedly motivated by the mistaken belief that a stolen iPhone was located within the victims’ home. Bui, who was 16 at the time of the crime, has been sentenced to 60 years in a state correctional facility after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder.
The victims of the tragic incident were Djibril “Jibby” Diol, his wife Adja, their toddler daughter Khadija, Diol’s sister Hassan, and her infant daughter Hawa Beye. The crime was committed by Bui and two other individuals, Gavin Seymour and Dillon Siebert, who set the family’s home ablaze while eight people were inside. Three individuals managed to escape the fire by jumping from a second-floor window.
Bui’s conviction comes as a result of a plea deal with the Denver District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his guilty plea, the state agreed to drop an additional 60 criminal charges that Bui was facing. Bui was believed to be the leader of the group and the owner of the stolen iPhone that led to the fatal attack.
The trio reportedly spent weeks planning the arson attack as a form of revenge for Bui’s stolen cellphone. They purchased hockey-style masks from a costume store and broke into the family’s home armed with containers of gasoline. After dousing the walls with the accelerant, they set the house on fire and fled the scene on foot.
Authorities were able to link Bui, Seymour, and Siebert to the crime through cell phone location data and surveillance footage. The three were seen on camera purchasing the masks they wore during the crime, and a neighbor’s doorbell camera captured them at the scene.
The other two perpetrators have also been convicted for their roles in the crime. Seymour, who was also 16 at the time, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. Siebert, who was 14, was sentenced to three years in a juvenile detention center and an additional seven years in state prison.
Bui remained largely silent during the court proceedings, offering only brief responses to direct questions from Judge Karen Brody. The victims’ family members chose not to attend the proceedings in person, instead opting to watch the hearing online. Bui is set to appear in court again on June 2 for formal sentencing.