Nearly a decade after reality TV superstar Kim Kardashian was violently robbed at gunpoint in a luxury Paris apartment, a French court is set to deliver a long-awaited verdict in the trial of 10 individuals linked to the shocking 2016 heist.
The trial, which began in April, has seen nine men and one woman all with ties to France’s old-school criminal underworld face charges for orchestrating one of the most high-profile robberies in modern celebrity history.
It was the night of October 2-3, 2016, when Kardashian, then 35, endured what she later described as a life-altering trauma. Armed, masked intruders broke into her private suite at the Hôtel de Pourtalès, tied her up, gagged her, and threatened her at gunpoint before making off with nearly $10 million worth of jewelry, including a dazzling 3.5 million euro diamond ring, a gift from her then-husband, rapper Kanye West.
The brutal theft, labeled France’s largest robbery targeting a private citizen in over 20 years, rocked global headlines and forced a shift in how celebrities approach personal security.
Four of the accused are believed to have physically carried out the robbery. Among them is Aomar Ait Khedache, a 69-year-old alleged ringleader better known by his underworld alias “Old Omar.” Nearly deaf and visibly aged, Khedache confessed to tying Kardashian up, though he denied spearheading the operation. His defense claims that a 10-year prison sentence, as requested by prosecutors, would effectively be a life sentence.
Dubbed the “Grandpa Robbers” by the French press due to their ages, many in their 60s and 70s, the defendants sport colorful monikers such as “Blue Eyes” and “Old Omar,” drawing comparisons to characters from a noir crime film.
Throughout the trial, Kardashian herself took the stand, offering harrowing testimony while wearing a jeweled necklace, a symbolic reminder of the trauma she endured.
“I thought I was going to die,” she told the court, describing the terror she felt as the robbers stormed in with guns drawn. Yet, in a surprising moment of compassion, she also extended forgiveness to Khedache after a letter of apology he penned was read aloud.
“I forgive you for what has taken place,” Kardashian said. “But it does not change the emotion, the feelings, the trauma, and the way my life changed.”
Another defendant, Yunice Abbas, added a dramatic layer to the proceedings. Abbas, now battling Parkinson’s disease, wrote a book titled I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian and expressed sincere remorse during his testimony. “It was one job too many,” he admitted, reflecting on the consequences of a lifetime of crime.
Defense attorneys have urged the court to show leniency, citing the advanced age, deteriorating health, and visible remorse of the defendants.
Before the verdict is delivered, each accused will be given one final chance to address the court. The decision is expected later this evening, capping a trial that has captivated global audiences and sparked widespread media attention.
Outside the courthouse on Paris’s historic Ile de la Cité, throngs of onlookers and journalists have gathered daily, eager for updates or a glimpse of Kardashian herself.
In a poignant twist of timing, Kardashian revealed on social media just yesterday that she had completed law school after six years of rigorous study, a personal milestone coinciding with the resolution of one of the darkest chapters in her life.
As the curtain falls on this dramatic courtroom saga, the world waits to see whether justice will finally be served and what comes next for the men who pulled off one of the boldest celebrity heists of the century.
