Kim Kardashian’s 2016 Paris robbery happened nearly ten years ago in October 2016, but the trial just started on April 28, 2025. There were initially 12 suspects, but news broke that one of them had passed away.
Marceau Baum-Gertner died in Paris on March 6, just as the case was about to go to trial, per the Daily Mail. He was 72, and his cause of death hasn’t been released, but sources say it was unexpected. The outlet also reports that he had recently received death threats.
Baum-Gertner, who was out on bail, was reportedly ready to clear his name at trial. He was accused of helping mafia groups steal $10 million worth of Kardashian’s jewelry while she was held at gunpoint, fearing for her life.
The most expensive piece was the 18.88-carat diamond and platinum $4M engagement ring that her ex-husband Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, gave her.
Baum-Gertner and 68-year-old "Old Omar" Aït Khedache, who confessed to being the ringleader after his DNA was found at the scene, were caught on surveillance cameras at motorway service stations in the Paris suburbs. Baum-Gertner was first arrested in January 2017, with several of his mobile phones bugged and a GPS tracking device placed on his car, per the Daily Mail.
What’s next
The trial started today, but another defendant was deemed too sick to stand trial. Still, ten other suspects, nicknamed the "Grandpa Gang" because of their age, face charges of robbery and kidnapping.
Kardashian will take the stand when she appears in court next month, on May 13, to testify against the alleged robbers and speak about the trauma she experienced. The trial is set to last from April 28 to May 23.
What Kim has said in the past
Kardashian has been very candid about the terrifying experience. In a 2017 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she told sisters Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian she thought they were going to shoot her in the back. "There's no way out. It makes me so upset to think about it," she said.
In a 2020 sit-down with David Letterman, she recalled thinking she would be assaulted when one of the men grabbed her when she was wearing a robe with nothing underneath.
"He grabbed me and pulled me towards him, but I wasn't wearing anything underneath. So I was like, 'OK, this is the time I'm going to get r***d. Just deal, it's gonna happen. Just prepare yourself.' So I did... But then he tied me up with handcuffs and zip ties and duct tape," she recalled.
She remembered a conversation with the concierge, "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 remembered. "Like, I have to get home. Tell them, 'Take anything.'"
In a 2023 episode of The Kardashians, she explained that she stopped buying new jewelry after the robbery. "After I was robbed in Paris, I haven't bought jewelry. I haven't really been about wearing jewelry, because when it was taken from me, it was such a—I didn't know I was ready for that experience and what that meant, but I was. I was ready to, like, give it up," she said.