Sources: Teen Arson Suspect Confessed, Hit Wrong House That Left 5 Dead
DENVER (CBS4)- Multiple sources connected to the investigation into a deadly arson fire have told CBS4 at least one of the teenage suspects has confessed to police. The sources also say the suspects had intended to set fire to a different house, but inadvertently targeted the wrong home, killing an innocent family of five last August.
The house fire on Aug. 5, 2020, killed Djibril Diol, his wife Adja, and their 2-year-old daughter. Hassan Diol and her infant daughter Hawa Baye were also killed in the fire. The family members were immigrants from Senegal.
The fire investigation remained a mystery until last week, when police announced the arrest of three suspects believed to be involved in the arson case.
Two 16-year-old suspects, Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour, will be tried as adults and prosecutors will also try to handle the third suspect, a still unidentified 15-year-old, as an adult.
Police have been tight-lipped about why the home of the Diol family was targeted.
But now multiple sources familiar with the inner workings of the case have told CBS4 that the three teenage suspects had intended to set fire to a different house, although their precise motive for attempting that remains unclear. However they mistakenly burned down the home of the Diol family in the pre-dawn hours.
Two sources with knowledge of the case tell CBS4 that at least one of the suspects has confessed his involvement to police, although the specifics of what he confessed are unknown. Records in the case have been sealed.
The other teen was scheduled to appear in juvenile court on Wednesday.
Bui and Seymour are facing murder charges. Kevin Bui's sister, Tanya, was also arrested on federal gun and drug charges. She appeared in court on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that charges would be forthcoming related to the deadly arson case. Tanya Bui is accused of being involved in the planning before and/or after the homicide.