Kim Kardashian is due to testify in court in the trial of the armed robbery she endured in Paris in 2016.
The Kardashians star, 44, has previously described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her to steal millions of dollars worth of jewellery in an apartment where she was staying for Paris Fashion Week. She said she thought she was going to be raped and killed.
Her appearance in the trial, which begins at Paris Assizes court on Monday and is expected to last until May 23, comes amid the news that one of the suspects of the robbery and kidnapping case has reportedly died.
Marceau Baum-Gertner “died suddenly” aged 72 in Paris’ 10th arrondissement on March 6, according to MailOnline,
“Mr Baum-Gertner had been released on bail following his arrest over the Kim Kardashian robbery eight years ago and was living in Paris while regularly reporting to police,” a source said.
“His name was on the defendants’ list for the trial, and he was very enthusiastic about clearing his name in court. This was until he died suddenly in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on March 6.”
The insider added: “He was suspected of liaising with mafia gangs from across the world over the Kardashian jewellery, and criminals are known to have issued threats against him following widespread publicity connected to the case.”
A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Baum-Gernter, nicknamed “Rough Nose”, was one of 10 people set to go on trial. He was alleged to have worked as a fence for the gang that allegedly committed the robbery, responsible for finding buyers for the stolen goods.
The robbery happened in the early hours of October 3, 2016, with Kardashian being held at gunpoint in her room at the Hôtel de Pourtalès.
The attack was led by five armed men, posing as police officers, who allegedly tied up the reality star and locked her in the bathroom along with the concierge.
French justice estimated stolen items to be worth 6 million US dollars (£4.5 million) in total.
One of the suspects said he plans to take responsibility for his role in the high-profile heist and will apologise in court.
Yunice Abbas, 71, who has publicly acknowledged his participation in the heist, is among 10 suspects facing charges including armed robbery and kidnapping.
“I will apologise,” he told The Associated Press. “I mean it sincerely.”
Abbas said he acted as a lookout at the reception area on the ground floor, ensuring the escape route was clear. He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian, but acknowledged he shared responsibility for the crime.
He was arrested in January 2017 and he spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision.
In 2021, he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian.
In her account to investigators, Kardashian described two men forcing their way into her bedroom and pointing a gun towards her, asking for her ring. She said she was tied up with plastic cables and tape while the intruders were looking for jewels, including her engagement ring worth millions.
In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show, she tearfully recalled thinking: “This is the time I’m going to get raped. I’m like, ‘What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just tell them I have children. I have babies, I have a husband, I have a family’.”
She told investigators the men brought her in the bathroom before they ran off and she managed to free herself.
The residency’s concierge, held at gunpoint and forced to lead the robbers to her apartment, also suffered psychological impact.
Investigators found Abbas’s DNA on plastic ties used to tie the hands of the concierge.
Asked about the trauma Kardashian suffered, Abbas said: “It’s true, I didn’t think about it. I recognise that because I did not brutalise her myself… I was not blaming myself regarding this aspect, and yet I’m responsible for it too.”
According to Abbas, minutes after the raid started, his accomplices came down from Kardashian’s apartment and gave him a bag of jewellery.
As he was fleeing the scene on a bicycle, he saw a police car, but officers were not yet aware of the robbery.
Abbas said as he rode the bicycle, the bag containing the jewellery became caught in the front wheel and he fell to the ground, spilling the contents of the bag. “I picked the jewels up and left,” he said.
The following morning, a passer-by found a diamond-encrusted cross in the street and handed it to police. That was the only jewel from the robbery that was ever recovered.
Abbas said he did not know Kardashian’s identity at the time of the robbery.
“I was told about a famous person, a rapper’s wife,” he said. “That’s all the information I had. Until the next morning, when I heard on TV about the influencer. That’s when I understood who she was.”
He said he will detail his role during the trial, which will be conducted with a jury, a procedure in France reserved for the most serious crimes – yet he would not denounce his accomplices.
“I’m only an outsider,” he added. “I’m not the one who masterminded the case. I take my share of responsibility.”
Most of the suspects have denied involvement, except for Abbas and another man whose DNA was also found at the scene.
