Judge sentences 20-year-old man in Green Valley Ranch fire that killed 5

A judge on Tuesday sentenced the last person involved in the fire that killed five people in Denver's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood nearly four years ago to 60 years in prison. The sentence was part of a plea deal reached earlier this year.

“We have lost five people who brought joy to everyone they knew. They were there to make their dreams come true,” the prosecutor's office said Tuesday.

Kevin Bui's conviction Tuesday closes one of the darkest chapters in Denver's history, prosecutors said.

Judge sentences 20-year-old man in Green Valley Ranch fire that killed 5

Bui, who pleaded guilty on May 17, agreed to serve 60 years in prison at the Department of Corrections for two counts of second-degree murder (which normally carries a sentence of up to 48 years in prison for each count) in connection with the fatal fire on Aug. 5, 2020.

Each of the charges Bui accepted carries a 30-year sentence at the DOC to be served consecutively, for a total of 60 years. Bui's pretrial detention will count toward that total, the judge said Tuesday.

Dozens of other charges against Bui, as well as a separate case in which he was accused of distributing drugs while in prison in 2022, were dismissed as part of the deal.

In January 2021, Bui and two teenagers, Gavin Seymour and Dillon Siebert, were charged with intentionally setting fire to the home in the middle of the night. The trio mistakenly thought Bui’s stolen iPhone was in the house and set it on fire in revenge, according to an arrest report.

“I hope we can recognize that even if this was the right family, burning down their house and killing everyone in it would have been a horrible, antisocial and confusing choice,” the prosecution said Tuesday.

Djibril Diol, 29, Adja Diol, 23, Khadija Diol, 2, Hassan Diol, 25, and Hawa Baye, 6 months, were killed as a result of the incident.

On Tuesday, friends and family described Djibril “Jibby” Diol as one of the most studious and hard-working people they knew. One roommate said he would go to bed and Jibby would be studying, only to wake up and find him still studying. He wanted to be an engineer.

“These were the best of the best who came to this country in hopes of a better life,” the judge presiding over Bui's case said Tuesday at his sentencing.

Another roommate posted a video of Jibby dancing and laughing, filling their Fort Collins home with joy.

Even in death, loved ones described Jibby as a hero as he tried to guide people in the house to safety during the fire, survivors told investigators.

Bui's two co-defendants have both previously pleaded guilty.

In February 2023, Siebert was sentenced to seven years in prison in district court, with a 26-year suspended sentence if he violated the terms of that sentence, according to Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. He was also sentenced to three years in prison in juvenile court.

In January 2024, Seymour pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He faced between 16 and 40 years in prison on that count alone. Dozens of other charges were also dropped as part of his deal.

Bui was the last of the trio to be sentenced.

The case against Bui was stalled for several months while the Colorado Supreme Court considered whether the methods police used to identify them as suspects in the arson were legal in the first place.

Although Seymour and Siebert participated, the prosecution said Tuesday: “What is clear is that Kevin was the leader in every way… While it is true that it is necessary for the other two to pay for their crimes, it is also a tragedy that their lives were forever changed by being drawn into his scheme.”

At Bui's sentencing on Tuesday, 11 people gave statements about the impact the case had on them.

Among them was one of the investigators who worked on the investigation to find the three people responsible for the fire. He described it as one of the most insane investigations he has ever been involved in.

“I just wanted to be able to speak on behalf of the family and the city of Denver. We are heartbroken for this family. We had to stand up and tell their story,” said Detective Neil Baker.

Judge sentences 20-year-old man to 60 years in prison for Green Valley Ranch fire that killed 5

Relatives and friends who testified Tuesday recounted, for the seventh time according to prosecutors, how having to wait months to find out who was behind the arson has created divisions within the Senegalese community. Those who testified said no one knew whether the people killed were people they trusted or whether they were targeted because those killed were black, Muslim or immigrants.

Those speaking on Tuesday said that beyond honoring the victims whose lives were lost and others directly affected, they want justice for the Senegalese people.

With nearly four years having passed since the five people died, relatives who spoke Tuesday said they have not had a chance to grieve.

“We spent most of our lives in this courtroom. Our life revolved around court cases,” said one of the victim's family members.

“It feels like this happened yesterday,” another person said.

The husband of one of the deceased victims was a Senegalese soldier at the time of the fire. He said he has since lost his job due to the deaths of his wife and child and the legal proceedings against Seymour, Siebert and Bui.

Many people have reported having trouble sleeping and having trouble being alone with their thoughts because they remember what happened.

Bui also spoke Tuesday before his official sentencing.

“I take full responsibility for this. It’s not Dylan’s fault. It’s not Gavin’s fault. I don’t want to apologize, defend myself, or explain myself. It doesn’t change the end result. I acknowledge the consequences of my decisions. I just hope this doesn’t consume you any longer than it already has. I pray that you can finally let go of our fears, so that you can find some peace and joy,” Bui said.

The issue of restitution was not decided at sentencing Tuesday. The prosecution and defense have 49 days for the people to file a motion for restitution.

After the sentencing, Ousman Ba, brother of Djibril Diol and Adja Diol, said his family had been grieving for years and that while this was a step towards closure, the tragedy would impact generations to come.

“We’ve lost babies. We’ve lost fathers. We love our mothers, our aunts, and it’s really hard,” he said. “We’ve lost five people and five family members. The trauma impacts not only this community (but) the entire country, and it continues to impact people today.”

Lamine Kane said more people wanted to address the court Tuesday but couldn't bring themselves to speak. What happened in court that day was not justice, Kane said.

“Remember these people, and how they were taken in a fire that was planned for days and carried out,” Kane said. “And then we get 60 years in prison, not even served in full.”

In a press release sent after Tuesday's hearing, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said:

“As the leader of this deeply disturbing and utterly senseless crime, Kevin Bui deserved exactly what he received today: the longest sentence of the three defendants in this case. Without his actions, five completely innocent victims would still be alive today. I hope his sentence brings some measure of comfort and a sense of justice to the victims’ families and friends. I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators, victim advocates, and legal secretaries in my office, as well as the detectives of the Denver Police Department and members of the Denver Fire Department and the ATF, whose outstanding work on this case helped bring this case to a successful conclusion.”