PARIS (AP) – A decade after the robbers attacked Kim Kardashian's luxury residence and tied her to the gun, a Paris court is scheduled to decide on Friday in one of the boldest celebrity robberies in modern French history.
During Paris Fashion Week 2016, nine men and a woman were charged with committing or assisting the crime when a masked man dressed in a police officer entered the Kardashian’s Paris home, tied her up with Zip-ties, and disappeared for $6 million in jewelry.
At the heart of the trial is Aomar Aït Khedache, 70, a veteran of the Paris criminal underworld. Prosecutors demanded a sentence of 10 years in prison. His DNA was found on the zipper used to bind Kardashian and opened the box. Eavesdropping caught his orders, recruited accomplices, and arranged for the sale of diamonds in Belgium. No loot was found.
Khedache claims he is just an infantryman. He accused a mysterious “X” or “Ben” – the prosecutor said never existed.
The defendant was known in France as “Les Papys Braqueurs” – Grandpa robber. Some came to the court wearing orthopedic shoes, one leaning against a cane. Some people read the program from the screen, and listening is difficult and silent. But prosecutors warn observers not to be attracted by the gentle appearance.
A panel of three judges and six jurors is listening to the trial and they will need a majority vote to make the ruling.
The defendants face charges, including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang associations. If convicted, they may face life in prison.
Kardashian's testimony earlier this month was an emotional high. In a crowded courtroom, she told of being thrown onto the bed, zippered to it, and pressing a gun on her on the evening of October 2, 2016.
“I absolutely think I'm going to die,” she said. “I have babies. I have to go home. They can take everything away. I just need to take it home.”
She was dragged into the marble bathroom and told to remain silent. When the robber fled, she released herself on the sink by plastering the tape from her wrist, and then she and her friends dodged, shaking barefoot.
Paris used to be her shelter—she would shop in a city that was strolling at 3 a.m. and stop for hot chocolate. This fantasy was shattered.
The robbery is far beyond the City of Light. It forces celebrity behavior in the digital age to be recalibrated. Over the years, Kardashian has curated his life like a showroom: floor diamonds, diamond light, public design. But this is the moment when the showroom becomes a crime scene. In her words, “People are looking… they know where I am.”
After that, she stopped publishing her position in real time. She deprived her of the wealthy gifts of social media and disappeared from Paris for years. Other stars follow suit. Privacy becomes luxury.
The defense attorney solicited leniency from the court based on the defendant's age and health status. But prosecutors insist that the gang is the one who has a criminal experience rather than fragile experience.
On Friday morning, the defendant will withdraw his intentional last speech in court.
Even for France's thorough legal system, observers commented on how long the case would take.
Kardashian once said, “This experience really changed everything” and hoped that the judgment would provide a certain closed measure.
