DENVER (KDVR) — Two teenagers accused of a Green Valley Ranch arson that killed a family of five were denied a transfer to juvenile court on Tuesday.
Sixteen-year-olds Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour requested their cases be transferred from the Denver District Court to juvenile court, but Judge Martin Egelhoff ruled not to allow a change.
The judge’s orders said 11 factors are considered when comparing the cases according to the Colorado Juvenile Code or Colorado Code of Criminal Procedure. Those factors include the seriousness of the acts; whether the acts were committed violently, willfully, aggressively and premeditated; the age and maturity of the defendant; and the mental state of the defendant.
Bui and Seymour are facing 60 counts split between several charges that included first-degree murder with extreme indifference, attempted murder with extreme indifference, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in the Aug. 5, 2020 fire that killed an infant, toddler and three adults.
A man, woman and child survived after jumping from the second story of the burning home.
A 15-year-old was also arrested and is facing 47 counts as a juvenile, according to the Denver district attorney. The DA is pushing to have his case moved out of juvenile court so he can be tried as an adult.
Seymour’s arraignment is set for March 24 and Bui’s is scheduled for March 31.
Community reaction to deadly house fire
The family killed in the fire were from Senegal and the community initially believed it was a hate crime. Arrest affidavits said investigators determined the teens were allegedly looking for revenge after being ripped off in a drug deal and that they targeted the wrong house.
Their arrests did little to calm the fears in the Senegalese community though, and many still wonder why the family was killed in a raging inferno.
“If it is revealed to be true, it just makes it harder, makes it harder. It’s one thing when someone intends to do something, it’s another thing when an entire family is gone, just by mistake. It makes it worse, it doesn’t make it any easier,” Papa Dia, founder and CEO of the African Leadership Group said.