Kevin Bui wrongly believed people who had recently robbed him lived in the home after using an app to track his stolen iPhone to the general area, according to prior testimony in the case.
A Colorado man pleaded guilty to murder charges on Friday for starting a 2020 house fire that killed five members of a Senegalese family out of misplaced revenge for a stolen iPhone that he mistakenly tracked to the house.
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Bui pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. A plea deal reached between the defendant and prosecutors proposes a sentence of up to 60 years in prison – 30 years for each count. The maximum penalty for each count of second-degree murder is 48 years and a $1 million fine.
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Bui is the last of the three friends to enter a plea in the fire that killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol. Their relative, Hassan Diol, 25, and her 6-month-old daughter Hawa Beye were also killed. Three other people escaped by jumping from the second floor of the home, breaking some bones.
Maybe if the police actually took steps to prevent robbery, or do literally anything to recover stolen property, people wouldn’t feel the need to try and do it themselves.