DENVER — The third and final suspect charged in the 2020 fire that killed five family members pleaded guilty in Denver District Court Friday - and as a result of the plea deal will spend decades in prison.
Kevin Bui, now, 20, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. In exchange for the plea, 60 other counts were dismissed. A separate drug case that Bui picked up while in jail was also dismissed and resolved as part of the deal.
Under the plea, both sides agreed to a sentence of 30 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections on each count to be served consecutively for a total of 60 years. Formal sentencing is set for July 2 at 9 a.m.
Bui was the suspected mastermind of the plot to set fire to the home on Truckee Street in the middle of the night - in an apparent act of revenge over a stolen phone - but ultimately the wrong home was targeted.
Eight people were inside the home when the fire was set in the early morning hours Aug. 5, 2020. Killed in the fire were Djibril Diol, 29; Djibril's wife, Adja, 23; the couple's 2-year-old daughter Khadija; Djibril's sister, Hassan, 25, and Hassan's 6-month-old daughter, Hawa Beye. A couple and their daughter survived the fire by jumping from a second-story window.
On the morning of the fire, video surveillance from a neighboring house showed three individuals in hoodies and masks arriving at the house and then running from it for about 10 minutes. About two minutes after they were seen running away the home was engulfed in flames.
Bui, Gavin Seymour, and Dillon Siebert were arrested in January 2021 after a months-long investigation. Seymour and Seibert previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the crime.
The suspects were arrested in January 2021 after a months-long investigation. That investigation found that the month before Bui was robbed by someone who was attempting to buy a gun from him.
During that robbery, his phone, shoes, and other items were taken, according to prior court testimony.
Bui used an application on his iPad to track his stolen phone, which pinged back to 5312 Truckee St. and at that time, he made a plan to go there to get his stuff back, a detective testified. It turns out, they had targeted the wrong house - and it did not belong to the person who had robbed Bui.
In January, Seymour pleaded guilty to an added count of second-degree murder. In exchange for the plea, 60 other counts against him were dismissed. Those charges included multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and arson.
A judge sentenced him to 40 years in the Department of Corrections in March.
Siebert pleaded guilty in December 2022 to second-degree murder and use of a weapon during a violent crime, which was a sentence enhancer.
He was sentenced as an adult to seven years in Youth Offender Services. He was also sentenced in juvenile court to serve three years in the Division of Youth Services. He will serve the time in the Youth Offender Services after his juvenile sentence is completed.
Siebert also faces a suspended sentence of 26 years in Youth Offender Services, which he would only have to serve if he violates the terms of the seven-year sentence he's currently serving.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime