Family reacts to sentencing of third suspect in arson that killed family of 5
17-year-old Dillon Siebert was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment on Wednesday in Denver court for his role in the deaths of Senegalese family members in a house fire back in August 2020.
He will also face a suspended sentence of 26 years if he violates the terms of that sentence. He was also sentenced separately Wednesday in juvenile court to serve three years in the Division of Youth Services.
Family and friends expressed their disappointment after learning the third suspect in this case as Siebert will face ten years behind bars.
The family told CBS News Colorado, this simply isn't justice.
Amadou Beye lost his entire family in that fire. Outside the courtroom, he was seen wearing a sweatshirt with a picture of his wife Hassan Diol, and his seven-month-old daughter, Hawa Beye, who both lost their lives that tragic night.
"They didn't just kill five people they killed an entire community, they killed me," he expressed outside the courtroom.
Beye was living in Senegal at the time this incident happened as he only met his daughter through video chat.
The courtroom was also eerie for Siebert, the youngest teenager in the arson case. He was 14 at the time of the fire.
"Being in the court is not something easy. They always remind you how they died....how my daughter was in the middle of the flames, my wife…that is why I can't feel good, I can't feel fine," Amadou Beye said.
Now at 17, Siebert pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder and faces a total of 10 years.
Abou Dijibril who also lost his family in the fire was upset after he learned of the sentence.
"No, I am not happy for the 10 years...It is very easy," expressed Ousman Ba, a close friend of the family.
"Imagine if this was a white family and three black boys did it? It's just like do they value our life?," Ba asked.
The two other teens accused of plotting the arson, Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour are facing dozens of charges including premeditated first-degree murder.
Investigators say, Bui was robbed a few weeks before and they set the fire to get revenge for a stolen iPhone.
He tracked down his phone using an app, but got the wrong address.
Three family members who were also living at the house survived the fire by jumping to safety from the second story of their Green Valley Ranch home.
Djibril Diol, Adja Diol and their daughter, Khadija, a toddler were killed along with Hassan Diol, and her infant daughter, Hawa.
"This horrific incident inflicted irreparable harm to these two beautiful families, terrorized Denver's Senegalese community and devastated the broader community," said Denver DA, Beth McCann. "We believe this disposition is appropriate given Mr. Siebert's age and his limited role in planning and executing this horrible act."
The arrest affidavits will remain sealed until Siebert turns 18 years old.
Two other juvenile defendants are being prosecuted in Denver District Court as the cases remain ongoing.