PARIS (AP) 鈥� Defiant in diamonds, in a Paris courtroom Tuesday to testify in the trial over the 2016 armed robbery that upended her life. The reality star and business mogul gave emotional, at times harrowing, testimony about the night masked men tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than $6 million in jewelry.
Here鈥檚 what she revealed 鈥� and what鈥檚 still to come.
A night that changed everything
Kardashian said she was starting to doze off in bed in the early hours when she heard stomping on the stairs. She assumed it was her sister Kourtney returning from a night out. 鈥淗ello? Hello? Who is it?鈥� she called.
Moments later, two masked men burst in. They dragged the concierge in handcuffs. They were dressed as police.
鈥淚 thought it was some sort of terrorist attack,鈥� she said.
She grabbed her phone but froze 鈥� 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what 911 was (in France).鈥� She tried to call her sister and her bodyguard, but one man grabbed her hand to stop her. They threw her on the bed, bound her hands and held a gun to her back.
鈥淚 have babies,鈥� she recalled telling the robbers. 鈥淚 have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home.鈥�
Her robe fell open 鈥� she said she was naked underneath 鈥� as one man pulled her toward him. 鈥淚 was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me,鈥� Kardashian said.
One attacker leaned in and told her, in English, she鈥檇 be OK if she stayed quiet. He taped her mouth shut, and took her to the bathroom.
Kardashian later managed to free her hands by rubbing the tape against the bathroom sink. She hopped downstairs, ankles still bound, and found her friend and stylist, Simone Harouche. Fearing the men might return, the women climbed onto the balcony and hid in bushes. While lying there, Kardashian called her mother.
The men took a diamond ring she鈥檇 worn that night to a Givenchy show and rifled through her jewelry box. They took items including a watch her late father had given her when she graduated high school. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just jewelry. It was so many memories,鈥� she said.
A changed life and constant fear
Investigators believe the attackers followed Kardashian鈥檚 digital breadcrumbs 鈥� images, timestamps, geotags 鈥� and exploited them with old-school criminal methods.
The robbery reshaped and freedom. 鈥淭his experience really changed everything for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 started to get this phobia of going out.鈥�
She often rents adjoining hotel rooms for protection and no longer stores jewelry at home, and now has up to six security guards at home.
"I can鈥檛 even sleep at night鈥� otherwise, she said.
She also said she no longer makes social media posts in real time unless at a public event. Her Los Angeles home was robbed shortly after the Paris heist in what she believes was a copycat attack.
A letter and an unexpected moment of grace
In a powerful courtroom moment, the chief judge read aloud a letter from one of the accused, who is too ill to testify. The letter said he had seen Kardashian鈥檚 tears on television and expressed regret. Kardashian was visibly moved.
鈥淚鈥檓 obviously emotional,鈥� she said in response.
鈥淚 do appreciate the letter, for sure," she added. "I forgive you for what had taken place. But it doesn鈥檛 change the emotion, the trauma, and the way my life is forever changed.鈥�
Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, added that she regularly visits prisons. 鈥淚鈥檝e always believed in second chances,鈥� she said.
Diamonds, defiance and public image
Kardashian made a fashion statement in court, wearing a $1.5 million necklace by Samer Halimeh New York. The jeweler's press release for the necklace came out even as she was on the witness stand, a reminder that visibility remains currency, even if the rules have grown more complicated.
The choice reflected defiance and the reclaiming of the image and luxury once used against her.
Kardashian said Paris had once been a sanctuary, a place where she would walk at 3 or 4 a.m., window shopping, sometimes stopping for hot chocolate. It 鈥渁lways felt really safe,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was always a magical place.鈥�
What鈥檚 next
Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has died. One was excused due to illness. The French press dubbed the group les papys braqueurs 鈥� 鈥渢he grandpa robbers鈥� 鈥� but prosecutors say they were no harmless retirees.
The defendants face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang association. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
Kardashian said she was grateful for the opportunity to "tell my truth鈥� in the packed Paris courtroom.
鈥淭his is my closure,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is me putting this, hopefully, to rest.鈥�
The trial is expected to conclude May 23.
Thomas Adamson, John Leicester And Nicolas Vaux-montagny, The Associated Press
