Reality star Kim Kardashian is set to testify in the trial of an underground gang accused of orchestrating her 2016 robbery in Paris.
The high-profile heist occurred during Paris Fashion Week when armed robbers broke into Kardashian’s rented apartment, bound and gagged her at gunpoint, and made off with approximately $10 million worth of jewelry, including a ring valued at around $4 million. According to TMZ, French authorities spent five years investigating the incident before bringing the case to trial in 2021, and now, nearly a decade later, the proceedings are underway.
While Kim has previously recounted the details to a judge, this will be her first opportunity to share her harrowing experience in front of a jury, which includes twelve individuals currently on trial.
In a 2017 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, she recounted, “They ask for money. I said I don’t have any money. They dragged me out onto the hallway, on top of the stairs. That’s when I saw the gun clear, like clear as day. I was kind of looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs.”
She went on to describe her thought process during the terrifying ordeal: “I was like, ‘I have a split second in my mind to make this quick decision. Am I going to run down the stairs and either be shot in the back? It makes me so upset to think about it. Either they’re going to shoot me in the back, or if I make it and they don’t, if the elevator does not open in time or the stairs are locked, then, like, I’m fucked. There’s no way out.'”
A source revealed that Kim managed to wriggle her hands free from the plastic ties that bound her, and another source stated that she screamed from the balcony for help after breaking free.
In connection with the robbery, 17 individuals were arrested across France three months later. Seven of them were released, while four were indicted shortly thereafter. Charges were filed against the remaining six suspects that same month.
Reflecting on the impact of the incident during a 2017 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Kim stated, “I know this sounds crazy, but I know that was meant to happen to me. I really feel like things happen in your life to teach you things … It was probably no secret, and you see it on the show—I was being flashy and I was definitely materialistic before.”
She added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with having things and working hard to get those things—and I’m really proud of, you know, everyone around me that’s successful. But like, I’m so happy that my kids get this me and that this is who I’m raising my kids ‘cause I just don’t care about that stuff anymore. I really don’t.”
