Current:Home > NewsHe traced his stolen iPhone to the wrong home and set it on fire killing 5. Now, he faces prison. -FutureProof Finance
He traced his stolen iPhone to the wrong home and set it on fire killing 5. Now, he faces prison.
View
Date:2025-04-14 16:30:49
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 nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Former shoemaker admits he had an illegal gambling operation in his Brooklyn shop
- Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan divorce: Former couple battle over 'Magic Mike' rights
- Changing course, Florida prosecutor suspended by DeSantis to seek reelection
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Kentucky prosecutor accused of trading favors for meth and sex resigns from office
- Travis Kelce named host of ‘Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?’ for Prime Video
- Boston Marathon winners hope victories will earn them spot in Paris Olympics
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Tuition and fees will rise at Georgia public universities in fall 2024
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Heavy rains lash UAE and surrounding nations as the death toll in Oman flooding rises to 18
- Homeowners, this week of April is still the best time to sell your house — just don't expect too much
- See Inside Emma Roberts' Storybook Home
- Sam Taylor
- 2024 NFL mock draft: J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye for Patriots at No. 3?
- Indiana sheriff’s deputy dies after coming into contact with power lines at car crash scene
- Alabama lawmakers OK bill barring state incentives to companies that voluntarily recognize union
Recommendation
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
Schweppes Ginger Ale recalled after PepsiCo finds sugar-free cans have 'full sugar'
Southern governors tell autoworkers that voting for a union will put their jobs in jeopardy
Homeowners, this week of April is still the best time to sell your house — just don't expect too much
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Crop-rich California region may fall under state monitoring to preserve groundwater flow
US Olympic committee strikes sponsorship deal to help athletes get degrees after they retire
Israel locates body of teen whose disappearance sparked deadly settler attack in the West Bank