Questions Remain About Motive For Deadly House Fire After Arson Suspects Arrested
DENVER (CBS4)- For now, it is a mysterious tale of two houses. One where five immigrants from Senegal died when their home was set on fire last August. The other, a $1 million house in Jefferson County where a SWAT team arrested a teen and his older sister.
It shocked those in the neighborhood. One woman declined to give her name, but said, "It just makes me want to cry. To think that somebody could do something like that to anybody… it is horrible. I guess my heart goes out to all, to both families."
The door to the home in Jefferson County appears pried open, the lock and windows broken. The family that lives there operates an accounting service.
A car was taken away that resembles the one in the Crime Stoppers flyer for the arson investigation. The bulletin also displayed photos of three people in hoodies with masks. Now three teens, ages 15 and 16, have been arrested.
The house fire on Aug. 5, 2020, killed Djibril Diol, his wife Adja, and their 2-year-old daughter.
Hassan Diol and her infant daughter Hawa Baye were also killed in the fire.
Three people escaped by jumping from windows.
Police said it does not appear to be a hate crime, but gave no motive. The Council on American-Islamic relations wants to know more.
Edward Ahmed Mitchell the deputy Executive Director of the group told CBS4's Rick Sallinger, "We need to know why this happened. If the police don't believe it was a hate crime, the police need to explain what the motive was."
His organization contributed $10,000 to the reward in this case. Crime Stoppers had a $40,000 reward offer. Those who lived in this home were Muslims, Black and from Africa. It is not known if anyone is claiming the reward money.
The alleged connection between what happened there and what took place where some arrests happened may eventually become clearer.
The Denver District Attorney will eventually have to decide whether to seek to have the three teenage boys tried as juveniles or adults. A fourth person, the sister of one of those suspects, was placed in the Denver Downtown Detention Center on a US Marshal hold. She declined an interview request by CBS4.
