Current:Home > ContactHe traced his stolen iPhone to the wrong home and set it on fire killing 5. Now, he faces prison. -Streamline Finance
He traced his stolen iPhone to the wrong home and set it on fire killing 5. Now, he faces prison.
View
Date:2025-04-28 00:55:49
The teenager traced his stolen iPhone to a Denver neighborhood where he believed the device pinged and, in an act of revenge, set fire to the house where he thought his phone was located.
He hit the wrong home.
In what police have called a coordinated arson attack, the 2020 fire killed five Senegalese family members, including two babies. On Friday, Kevin Huy Bui, now 20, pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder in connection to the family's deaths.
Bui was 16 years old when he was robbed and used the "Find my iPhone" app to mistakenly track his stolen phone to the wrong home, officials said. Bui, along with two teenage co-defendants, were all later prosecuted as adults in the case, court papers show.
Under a plea deal, Bui faces up to 60 years in prison when he is sentenced this summer for his role in the quintuple homicide.
According to an arrest warrant filed by the Denver Police Department, the fatal fire took place Aug. 5, 2020 and killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol. Hassan Diol, a 25 year-old mother, and her 7-month-old daughter Hawa Beye also died.
Three other people escaped the home through an upstairs back window, with some suffering broken bones, court documents show.
Suspected serial killer?Oregon man charged in the deaths of 3 women may be linked to more killings
Co-defendants also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges
Bui was the last of a trio of friends to enter a plea in the fatal arson fire, records show.
Dillon Siebert, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2022 and was sentenced to three years in a juvenile facility followed by seven years in a state prison, Colorado Department of Corrections online records show. Siebert, age 14 when the arson occurred, remained incarcerated Tuesday, with an estimated parole release date of February 2029.
A third co-defendant in the case, Gavin Seymour, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He was 16 when the crime took place, and also remained incarcerated Tuesday, records showed, with an estimated parole release date of November 2050.
Police kicked in front door but could not enter due to extreme heat
According to the 17-page arrest warrant, on the day of the fire, a police officer in the city's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood was patrolling the area around 2:40 a.m. when he spotted the family's home ablaze.
After alerting firefighters, the officer attempted to enter the home through the garage but could not due to the heat and flames.
He then rushed to the front door where "someone was attempting to unlock the door with the keypad but was unsuccessful. He then kicked the front door in but again could not enter due to the extreme heat.
Arriving fire crews managed to pull one victim from the area of the front door, and the other four victims' bodies were recovered from the front area of the house, the warrant continues.
Black bear found with all paws cut off:Paws stolen after in animal hit by vehicle in Northern California
Surveillance from neighboring home showed trio wearing masks, hoodies
Surveillance video provided by a neighbor showed three masked suspects wearing dark hoodies outside the home at 2:26 a.m., according to the warrant. The footage also showed at least one suspect holding what appears to be a gasoline can.
Court papers also reveal, in what police called "a coordinated attack," the suspects entered the home and used gasoline as an accelerant to set fire to the rear of the home, then fled.
Detectives later obtained a search warrant after asking Google who had searched the home’s address prior to the fire and eventually identified Bui, Siebert and Seymour as suspects. The warrant goes onto say that detectives reviewed conversations between the trio on social media including one on July 15, 2020, where Bui told his friends he was robbed and another where he wrote "they gonna get theirs."
On Aug. 1, 2020, the warrant reads, Bui sent Seymour this message on Snapchat: "#possiblyruinourfuturesandburnhishousedown."
Bui remained incarcerated Tuesday in Denver's downtown detention center without bond, online records show.
He is slated to be sentenced in Denver County District Court on July 2
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (633)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Imprisoned man indicted in 2012 slaying of retired western Indiana farmer
- The Black Dog Owner Hints Which of Taylor Swift’s Exes Is a “Regular” After TTPD Song
- Authorities confirm 2nd victim of ex-Washington officer was 17-year-old with whom he had a baby
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Dolphin found dead on a Louisiana beach with bullets in its brain, spinal cord and heart
- Bill Belichick to join ESPN's 'ManningCast' as regular guest, according to report
- 2024 NFL Draft rumors: Jayden Daniels' 'dream world' team, New York eyeing trade for QB
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- 'Abhorrent': Laid-off worker sues Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen after all locations shutter
Ranking
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Bird flu outbreak is driving up egg prices — again
- U.S. labor secretary says UAW win at Tennessee Volkswagen plant shows southern workers back unions
- Groups urge Alabama to reverse course, join summer meal program for low-income kids
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Reggie Bush will get back 2005 Heisman Trophy that was forfeited by former USC star
- Anne Heche's son struggling to pay estate debts following 2022 death after car crash
- Columbia’s president, no stranger to complex challenges, walks tightrope on student protests
Recommendation
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
Gerry Turner's daughter criticizes fans' response to 'Golden Bachelor' divorce: 'Disheartening'
The dual challenge of the sandwich generation: Raising children while caring for aging parents
Meta more than doubles Q1 profit but revenue guidance pulls shares down after-hours
What to watch: O Jolie night
Marine in helicopter unit dies at Camp Pendleton during 'routine operations'
Jon Bon Jovi talks 'mental anguish' of vocal cord issues, 'big brother' Bruce Springsteen
Colleges nationwide turn to police to quell pro-Palestine protests as commencement ceremonies near