Green Valley Ranch Deadly House Fire: 2 Teens Face Adult Charges

Denver CO

02 February, 2021

2:02 PM

Description

DENVER, CO — Two 16-year-olds were charged as adults in a deadly arson case in Denver, the Denver District Attorney's Office said. A 15-year-old was also arrested in connection with the case, and he was charged as a juvenile. The three boys are accused in a fire in August that killed five family members in a home in Denver's Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. Kevin Bui, 16, and Gavin Seymour, 16, were charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, arson, burglary and more than a dozen other counts, the DA's office said. The 15-year-old was also charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, arson, burglary and other counts. The fire broke out Aug. 5 in a home at 5312 North Truckee Street, and five members of a family died. Officials identified them as Djibril Diol and Adja Diol; their 1-year-old daughter, Khadija Diol; Hassan Diol; and Hassan Diol's baby daughter, Hawa Beye. Three other family members who were also living at the house survived the fire by jumping from the second story. Some civil rights organizations called on Denver police to launch a hate crime investigation; the family was Senegalese American Muslim. But evidence as of Wednesday did not show the crime was bias-motivated, according to Denver Police Department Chief Paul Pazen. Don't miss the latest news updates in Denver: Free Denver Patch Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook | Twitter A fundraiser was launched to help pay for a memorial service and support the remaining family members. "Djiby, his wife, his sister, his daughter and his niece all passed away. Djiby ... cared for his family, his brothers and parents," a post on the fundraising page said. "Djiby a young man with a promising future in Civil Engineering has left behind a community that he so deeply loved and cared for. We are saddened by the loss of a loving Dad, a nurturing husband, and a caring brother to all of us." Police released surveillance images of three masked suspects in September and increased the reward to more than $40,000 for information that led to an arrest in the case. GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.