A Denver man, Kevin Bui, 20, was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2024, for setting a fire that killed five members of a Senegalese family in August 2020. The sentencing comes after Bui pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in a plea deal.
The fire, fueled by revenge, tragically claimed the lives of Djibril Diol, his wife Adja Diol, their 22-month-old daughter Khadija, and Hassan Diol, Djibril’s brother, along with his infant daughter Hawa. The family had immigrated from Senegal and were living the American dream when their lives were cut short.
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Bui, a teenager at the time of the crime, mistakenly believed the family’s home housed the person who stole his iPhone. He used an app to track the phone and, along with two friends, set the house ablaze in the middle of the night.
The fire sent shockwaves through Denver’s Senegalese community, raising fears of a hate crime. However, investigators determined it was a misguided act of revenge.pen_spark
Bui was the last of the three friends to be sentenced. In March, Gavin Seymour, 19, received a 40-year sentence for his role in the fire. The third defendant, a juvenile, was sentenced in the juvenile justice system.
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Hamady Diol, the father of Djibril and Hassan, spoke at the sentencing via phone from Senegal, expressing his ongoing pain and the need for medication to sleep. He stated losing five family members had left a gaping hole in their lives.
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