Teens Sentenced to Prison for Starting a House Fire in the Wrong Home That Killed Five People Over Stolen iPhone

Kevin Bui. Photo/CBS News

A Denver, Colorado, teen, Kevin Bui, was 16 when he set the wrong house on fire, killing five out of eight family and friends from Senegal in 2020. Kevin was reportedly seeking revenge for a stolen iPhone when he and his accomplices broke into the home that occupied eight people, lighting it on fire after dousing it with gasoline. Two babies and three adults were killed in the blaze.

Three people in the home avoided death by escaping out a window, however—Djibril Diol, his wife Adja, their 21-month-old daughter, Khadija, as well as Diol's sister Hassan and her six-month-old daughter, Hawa, were found deceased by the front door.

The five victims-CBS News

Kevin, the brainchild of the operation, now 20-years-old, recently accepted a plea deal of 60 years in prison. The then-teen's accomplices, Gavin Seymour, 16, and Dillon Siebert, 14, reportedly spent weeks planning the attack after Bui used the 'Find My iPhone' app to track the location of the stolen device. However, according to Daily Mail, the app didn't accurately track the phone's location; instead, it gave Bui the address of the wrong property. 

Daily Mail said surveillance footage caught the crew of three walking through the family's home wearing hockey masks and holding gas cans. They were finally arrested in January 2021 and charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference, attempted murder with extreme indifference, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon. Siebert was sentenced in February 2023 to ten years behind bars for his role in the crime. Seymour pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March and was jailed for 40 years, followed by five years of mandatory parole.

Surveillance footage

Denver reportedly has a tight-knit Senegalese community, which was greatly saddened by this incident. The Republic of Senegal's President Macky Sall spoke on the incident via X, sending support for the surviving family members. 

Family and friends of the victims are having great difficulty handling the deaths. The Senegalese community doesn't feel justice was served for the heinous crime. Amadou Beye, who lost his wife Hassan and baby Hawa in the fire, addressed one of the assailants, Gavin Seymour, during his sentencing; he told him, "I hope when you die, you will die slow and hard. He continued, "And you will die young. And when you die, I hope you will feel all the pain they did feel when they were dying. And you will feel all the pain that we feel right now."

Gavin Seymour/CBS News

During sentencing, Seymour apologized and said, "If I could go back and prevent all this, I would. He continued, "There is not a moment that I don't feel extreme guilt and remorse for my actions. I want to say how truly sorry I am to the family members and community for all the harm I've done."

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