DENVER — The three teenage suspects accused of killing the Diol family in a Denver house fire in August allegedly set fire to the house in retaliation for a drug deal gone awry, but it was the wrong home, according to high-ranking law enforcement sources.
Sources said 16-year-old's Gavin Seymour and Kevin Bui, along with the 15-year-old suspect, were involved in a drug deal gone wrong. They were retaliating and somehow burned down the wrong house, sources said.
The two 16-year-olds were formally charged as adults Tuesday. They're facing 60 felony charges, including multiple counts of murder, arson, burglary and conspiracy. The third suspect is still being charged as a juvenile, though that could change. Carolyn Tyler, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office, said the 15-year-old is charged with 47 counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, arson, burglary and conspiracy.
The teenagers were arrested Wednesday, almost half a year after the house fire in Denver's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood.
Tanya Bui, 23, is also being investigated in connection to the fire. She was arrested Friday on federal drug and weapons charges. According to an arrest affidavit, she was paying for one of the suspect's cell phones in the arson investigation.
Djibril and Adja Diol, their 2-year-old daughter Khadija, Hassan Diol and her infant daughter, Hawa Baye, died in the early morning fire on Aug. 5, 2020. The Senagalese family immigrated to America to become citizens and live out the American Dream.
Their family home was torn down Tuesday.
Further details in the case have been sealed by a judge. The suspects are due back in court in two weeks.
