Nearly nine years after billionaire reality TV star Kim Kardashian was bound, gagged and robbed at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week, the trial of nine men and one woman accused of carrying out the dramatic heist opened Monday at a packed courthouse in the French capital, reports CNN.
The case centers on the October 2016 theft of nearly $10 million in cash and jewelry, including a $4 million engagement ring that was never recovered.
The defendants, who range in age from their 30s to their 70s, are facing charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy. Eight of them deny involvement, while two have admitted to lesser offenses.
As the trial proceedings began, several of the defendants, including Aomar Ait Khedache and Yunice Abbas, made their way into the courtroom. Ait Khedache, often alleged to be the mastermind of the robbery, entered with the support of a cane and wearing hearing aids.
The defendants’ families arrived moments later, taking their seats next to the press.