In a tragic case of mistaken revenge, Colorado man Kevin Bui pleaded guilty to setting an innocent family’s home on fire in revenge for a stolen cellphone, resulting in the deaths of five people, including a toddler and a baby. Bui, believed to be the ringleader of a group of arsonists, used the “Find My iPhone” app to track the location of his stolen phone to the victims’ home, but ended up burning the wrong house. The group had spent weeks planning the attack, as revealed in texts and social media messages, leading up to the fatal blaze that killed five people.
Among the victims of the fire were Djibril “Jibby” Diol, his wife Adja, and their young children, as well as Diol’s sister and her baby. Three other occupants managed to survive by jumping from a second-floor window but sustained injuries. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the victims were unable to escape the blaze that engulfed the home in the early hours of the morning. The responding officer who arrived at the scene described the horrifying sight of a small human body inside the front door, but was unable to rescue the deceased child due to the intense heat.
Bui, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was the last of three friends to plead guilty to the 2020 quintuple murder. He agreed to a plea deal that would require him to spend 60 years in prison, in exchange for dropping 60 criminal charges against him. The other two friends involved in the arson attack had previously pleaded guilty and received their sentences. Bui made no statement during his court appearance and is set to be formally sentenced on July 2.
Surveillance footage captured the suspects wearing hockey masks and dark clothing while breaking into the victims’ home and setting the fire in a coordinated and planned attack. The suspects were seen pouring gasoline on the living room walls before lighting the accelerant and fleeing the scene. The evidence presented in the affidavit, including videos from neighborhood cameras and the victims’ own security footage, helped to identify the perpetrators and led to their arrests and subsequent charges.
The heinous act of setting a family’s home on fire in retaliation for a stolen phone resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including young children, who were unable to escape the deadly blaze. The details of the attack, including the premeditated planning and calculated execution by the suspects, paint a chilling picture of the events that unfolded that fateful night. The legal proceedings following the arrests of the perpetrators have brought closure to the case, with Bui being the final defendant to plead guilty to the charges and face the consequences of his actions.
The sentencing of Bui and his accomplices serves as a form of justice for the victims and their loved ones who have endured the pain and loss caused by the senseless act of arson. While nothing can undo the tragic events that took place, the accountability of the perpetrators and the resolution of the case provide some measure of closure for the affected families. The community and law enforcement have come together to ensure that those responsible for the devastating fire that claimed multiple lives are held accountable for their actions and serve their respective prison sentences.
