A Paris court will deliver the verdict in Kim Kardashian jewelry heist trial
The robbery was over in minutes, the fallout long: Nearly a decade after robbers stormed Kim Kardashian's luxury residence and tied her up at gunpoint, a Paris court will decide the verdict Friday in one of the most audacious celebrity heists in modern French history.
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Nine men and a woman stand accused of carrying out or aiding the crime during the 2016 Fashion Week, when masked men dressed as police entered Kardashian's Paris residence, bound her with zip-ties and vanished with $6 million in jewels.
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At the heart of the trial is 70-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, the alleged ringleader and a veteran of Paris' criminal underworld. Prosecutors have asked for a 10-year sentence. His DNA, found on the zip-ties used to bind Kardashian, cracked open the case. Wiretaps captured him giving orders, recruiting accomplices, and arranging to sell the diamonds in Belgium. The loot was never found.
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Khedache claims he was only a foot soldier. He blamed a mysterious 'X' or 'Ben' — someone prosecutors say never existed. Khedache asked for 'a thousand pardons,' communicated via a written note, according to French media. Other defendants also used their final words to express remorse.
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The accused became known in France as 'les papys braqueurs' — the grandpa robbers. Some arrived in court in orthopedic shoes and one leaned on a cane. Some read the proceedings from a screen, hard of hearing and nearly mute. But prosecutors warned observers not to be seduced by soft appearances.
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The trial is being heard by a panel of three judges and six jurors, who will need a majority vote to reach a decision.
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The defendants face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang association. If convicted, some of them could face life in prison.
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Kardashian's testimony earlier this month was the emotional high point. In a packed courtroom, she recounted how she was thrown onto a bed, zip-tied, and had a gun pressed to her on the night of Oct. 2, 2016.
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'I absolutely did think I was going to die,' she said. 'I have babies. I have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home.'
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