Kim Kardashian was decked out in diamonds to testify against the 2016 Paris robbers

Kim Kardashian was in Paris this week to testify against the group of people who robbed her in 2016. I thought some of the robbers had been caught years ago, but this trial is for the larger group, consisting of thieves in their 60s and 70s. The French papers call them the “grandpa robbers.” Apparently, Kim was only scheduled to testify for one day, and she did so decked out in millions of dollars worth of diamonds.

Kim Kardashian, the reality TV star and entrepreneur, told a Paris court on Tuesday that she had feared for her life as thieves held her at gunpoint during a robbery in the French capital nearly a decade ago.

“I absolutely did think I was going to die,” said Ms. Kardashian, who was composed as she recalled her ordeal for the court but briefly teared up several times over nearly five hours of testimony. It was the only time that Ms. Kardashian, 44, was expected to take the stand and face the defendants. Reporters have nicknamed them “grandpa robbers” — a group, some of whom are in their 60s and 70s, accused of stealing millions worth of jewelry from her during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016.

Ms. Kardashian spoke about the confusion and terror that gripped her after two of the thieves, dressed as police officers, entered her room and asked in accented English for her $4 million diamond engagement ring. One held her at gunpoint, she said, and she feared they might rape or shoot her.

When the robbers fled, she said, they left her on her bathroom floor, gagged and bound with tape and zip ties. She described freeing her hands by rubbing the tape against the metal leg of a sink, before hopping downstairs with her ankles still bound. The ordeal shattered her sense of safety, leading her to drastically upgrade her private security and to remove all jewelry from her home, she testified. “It really changed everything,” she said.

The courthouse in central Paris buzzed with unusual activity on Tuesday because of Ms. Kardashian’s presence. She wore a long black skirt, a black jacket and a $3 million diamond necklace.

Some of the defendants have been charged with armed robbery in an organized gang, kidnapping and other charges. Others are accused of complicity or of lesser charges. The trial, which will be decided by three judges and a six-person jury, is set to last until the end of May.

[From The NY Times]

I remember how Kim was so shaken up after the robbery, and how she genuinely feared for her life. She didn’t even return to Paris for years afterwards. Page Six had additional details about Kim’s jewelry in court, including details about what was stolen back in 2016. Originally, the robbers took about $10 million worth of jewelry, and Kim told the court that the insurance pay out was about $6 million. She ended up replacing the stolen 20-carat diamond ring with a 22-carat diamond, and she wore that diamond ring to court. Plus the $3 million diamond necklace. Kim also went out to dinner in Paris last night after testifying!

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.