Kim Kardashian Opens Up About the Night of Terror During Paris Jewelry Heist Trial

Kim Kardashian testified in Paris on Tuesday, captivating the nation with her heartfelt recounting of one of the most notorious robberies in modern history. Her description of the traumatic event, during which she lost $10 million worth of jewelry, was filled with raw emotion.

As she took the stand, Kim conveyed her overwhelming fear: “I truly believed I was going to die.” She painted a vivid picture of the horrifying moment when two masked intruders, posing as police officers, threatened her with a gun while she was in her bathrobe, frozen in terror.

The brazen robbers first subdued a concierge outside her hotel room. After tying up Kim, they left her hiding in her bathroom during the chaotic week of Paris Fashion Week in October 2016, escaping with a jaw-dropping $4 million engagement ring gifted by her then-spouse, Kanye West.

Kim recounted the dread she felt when she heard footsteps outside her door around 3 AM. When she opened it, she found the concierge handcuffed and at the mercy of the two attackers. With a gun pointed at her, she was consumed by thoughts of her children and the looming threat of sexual violence.

In a frantic plea, she repeatedly voiced, “I have children, and I need to return to them.” One of the robbers appeared particularly fixated on her, continually pointing to his hand and fixating on the word “ring.”

One of the intruders ruthlessly restrained her with duct tape and zip ties, leaving her exposed in her bathrobe. “He grabbed my legs and pulled me, completely exposing me,” she recalled, the memory of that night still haunting her.

During her testimony, Kim revealed her crushing anxiety: “I feared for my life and was convinced something worse was about to happen.” Though the robbers stole her valuables, they ultimately spared her life.

After her plight, Kim managed to free herself from the duct tape and stealthily emerged to locate her stylist and childhood friend, Simone Harouche, who had been staying just a floor below. With a pair of scissors, Harouche helped release Kim from her remaining bindings.

The two women quickly escaped outside the Hôtel de Pourtalès, hiding in nearby bushes as Kim called her mother, Kris Jenner. Though authorities arrived, Kim felt an overwhelming sense of distrust since the robbers had been disguised as law enforcement.

“I had no idea whom to trust,” she confessed, revealing the psychological scars that lingered long after the event.

Later, a French official disclosed that she had been targeted by the same gang during a past visit to Paris. They had postponed their plan that time only because Kanye was with her. “It was shocking to learn they had been plotting this for a long time,” she noted, adding that the attack felt disturbingly choreographed.

In an unexpected turn, the alleged leader of the group, known as “Old Omar,” who is deaf and mute, submitted a handwritten note during the trial, expressing regret and seeking Kim’s forgiveness.

“I appreciate the letter; I forgive you for what has transpired, but this doesn’t erase the pain and trauma that have altered my life forever,” Kim stated, showcasing her inner strength despite the shadows of her past.

Once a confident presence in Paris, the trauma from that harrowing night has shadowed her return to Los Angeles. Now, she maintains a security detail of four to six guards, a testament to the relentless fear that has fundamentally changed her sense of safety.

In a twist of fate, only one piece of the stolen jewelry—a $24,000 diamond necklace—has been recovered, discovered by an unsuspecting woman on the street shortly after the heist. Oblivious to its notorious background, she wore it to work before realizing its connection to the infamous robbery and later returning it to authorities.

As the courtroom drama unfolds, a group of nine men and one woman—endearingly dubbed the “Grandpa Robbers”—are being tried nearly a decade after their audacious crime, with many arrested a few months following the robbery.