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While I know, in a general manner, the differences between an M-16 and an AR-15, I'm not savy in the technical aspects... Such as what is required for the selector switch to be moved into the third (and presumably auto or burst mode) position. My laymans assumption, if the selector is an original part, is that something which must have been modified on the receiver?
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The parts which differ between an AR-15 and a full auto M-16 are the trigger, hammer, disconnector, auto sear, and selector switch (there's another couple parts for a burst fire rifle). The bolt carrier is also different, but a full auto bolt carrier itself is not an attempt to make a FA weapon- many folks with semiauto ARs prefer FA carriers and that alone won't cause squat.
From everything I've read about this case, the guy had willfully installed an FA fire control group into a semiauto receiver (missing an extra hole for the auto sear and maybe another cut on the inside- don't remember about the cut). When placed into the full auto position, the selector switch engages the auto sear, which is then tripped by the bolt carrier when it reaches its fully closed position (that is where the difference between a semiauto and fully auto BC lies; the FA one has the lower rear machined to a very specific point- SA ones will either have more material, less material, or no material there, making it impossible for one to trip the auto sear if one were present).
A semiauto trigger, hammer, and disconnector don't even have the ability to be mated to an auto sear without modification.
The repeated firing in this case was not caused by a slamfire. It was not caused by legitimate broken parts. It was caused by installing parts which were not legal to install and then refusing to remedy that situation when it became clear that the rifle did fire full auto bursts.
As stupid as the NFA may be, it's still the law and this guy was clearly in violation of it. There's a long way between Olofson's AR-15 and a SKS with a dirty firing pin channel.