With tears in her eyes, Kim Kardashian told a Paris courtroom Tuesday that she believed she was going to be raped or killed when masked gunmen burst into her hotel suite in 2016, tied her up, and stole more than $10 million worth of jewelry. The media mogul and reality star testified against 10 suspects accused of carrying out the multi-million dollar robbery – a case the French press has dubbed the work of the “Grandpa Robbers,” due to the suspects’ older ages.
Diamonds and defiance
Kardashian entered the courtroom wearing diamonds around her neck and a matching ring similar to the one stolen in the robbery – a move many observers called an act of defiance and reclamation. It was her first time facing several of the accused since the traumatic incident nearly a decade ago.
Who are the ‘Grandpa Robbers?’
The defendants – nine men and one woman, mostly in their 60s and 70s – are accused of storming Kardashian’s private suite at the Hôtel de Pourtalès while she was in Paris for Fashion Week. They allegedly posed as police officers to gain access and made off with an estimated $10 million in jewelry, making it the largest personal robbery in France in 20 years.
‘I thought I was going to die’
Kardashian’s voice trembled as she told the court she had been alone and falling asleep while her friend, stylist Simone Harouche, was downstairs. She recalled hearing heavy footsteps and calling out – but no one answered. Moments later, masked men tied her hands with zip ties, taped her mouth shut, and held a gun to her head.
“I absolutely thought I was going to die,” she told the courtroom.
She recalls how the masked men also entered her room with someone she recognized as the hotel night watchman. He translated the robbers’ demands from French to English.
During the proceedings, a lead judge questioned whether Kardashian had made herself a target by sharing images of her jewelry online. Harouche, who was with her at the time of the attack, quickly rebuffed the notion.
“Just because a woman wears jewelry, that doesn’t make her a target,” Harouche said. “That’s like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt, she deserves to be raped.”
Kardashian told the court she tried to “mentally prepare” herself to be sexually assaulted as one of the men dragged her toward him on the bed, leaving her partially exposed.
But that never happened. Instead, the men left with everything, including her engagement ring from her ex-husband, Ye, or Kanye West, and a large Louis Vuitton jewelry box.
Public criticism resurfaces
Not everyone has offered sympathy over the years.
In a 2016 interview shortly after the robbery, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld told The Associated Press: “You cannot display your wealth then be surprised that some people want to share it. I don’t understand why [Kardashian] was in a hotel with no security and things like this.”
Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, faced backlash for his remarks at the time.
Letters and lasting trauma
Two of the 10 suspects have confessed – one co-authored a book titled ‘I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian,’ and another wrote Kardashian a letter from jail, expressing regret. In court, he read the letter aloud, saying he wasn’t asking for mercy, but wanted her to know how deeply he regrets the pain he caused.
The Guardian notes Kardashian cried during the reading and told the court she forgave him, but added that his remorse does not erase the trauma.
“My life is forever changed,” she said.
