Three of the suspected robbers fled on bicycles and two on foot, carrying between them almost $10 million worth of jewelry, a $4 million ring among the goods.
They had the benefit of the darkness of nighttime Paris, but the street would before sunup be buzzing with activity. Within minutes of their departure, police would descend upon Rue Tronchet, the address of a luxury accommodation where Kim Kardashian had retired earlier that evening after a busy day of Fashion Week events and before her life took a turn for the terrifying — bound and gagged at gunpoint — allegedly at the hands of a group referred to in French news media by monikers like “The Grandpa Gang” and “Grandpa Robbers” (despite one woman being among the accused.)
Like most places in central Paris, Rue Tronchet is full of history, even before it was the site of a high-profile heist. It was once depicted in a work by French painter Antoine Blanchard and is one of the streets that surrounds the iconic Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, a Catholic church dedicated by Louis XV just before the start of the French Revolution.
On the night of the robbery in October 2016, police say the criminals, posing as policemen, entered through two large, unmarked red doors on Rue Tronchet and held the concierge at gunpoint to gain access to the apartment where Kardashian was staying.
If so much of Kardashian’s life to that point nearly a decade ago was the closest a former celebrity assistant could get to a fairytale in the online age — a television show empire, a stable of bustling businesses and a famous musician husband — that night, she was trapped in a nightmare.
Details of the incident, at the time, were prolific, examined and pieced together in intricate detail by media outlets around the world as one of the most visible celebrities of our time went uncharacteristically silent about the ordeal. Her family, some of whom were also in Paris for Fashion Week when the robbery happened, were also mum.
Time, of course, has caused memory of the incident — both the public’s and seemingly Kardashian’s — to fade from prominence. It would likely stay blurred in pop culture past if the group of alleged criminals responsible weren’t finally set to stand trial for the crime in Paris this week.
Of the 12 individuals originally charged in the case, 10 are on trial, beginning Monday. One of the suspects has since died and another, Pierre Bouianere, 80, will have his own trial. He has denied all of the charges and his case is expected to be dismissed for health reasons.
Eight of those on trial have denied the charges, which include armed robbery in an organized gang and criminal conspiracy.
Kardashian’s personal attorney Michael Rhodes confirmed that she is expected to testify. “Ms. Kardashian is preserving her testimony for the Court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further on it at this stage. She has tremendous appreciation and admiration for the French judicial system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities.”
The case — long delayed due to other high-profile trials, among other reasons — is anything but straightforward, with colorful characters and circumstances that seem out of a movie script.