Trial Begins for Woman Accused in Horrific Murder of 12-Year-Old Lola Daviet in Paris

The mother of the victim has implored politicians to cease using her daughter's death for political purposes.

On Friday, an Algerian woman expressed remorse for her "horrible" actions as her trial commenced in France, where she stands accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl in Paris, a case that shocked the entire nation.

Dahbia Benkired, now 27, was arrested after Lola Daviet disappeared in northeastern Paris three years ago. The girl's body was subsequently discovered in a trunk in the lobby of the building where her parents worked as caretakers.

Conservative and far-right political figures used the case to advocate for stricter enforcement of immigration laws, highlighting that Benkired had remained in France after her student visa expired and had ignored an order to leave the country.

However, the victim's mother has asked politicians to stop exploiting her daughter's tragedy.

The girl's family attended court on Friday wearing T-shirts bearing the message: "You were the sun of our life, you will be the star of our nights." A woman in her fifties broke down when the defendant entered the courtroom.

"It's horrible what I did. I regret it," Benkired stated, asking the family for forgiveness.

Thibaut Daviet, one of the victim's brothers present in court, urged the accused to tell "all the truth and nothing but the truth."

According to the investigation, building residents observed Benkired in the lobby of the apartment complex in the 19th district on October 14, 2022, carrying suitcases and a heavy trunk covered with a blanket.

Security footage captured Benkired approaching the girl as she returned from school an hour and a half earlier, then leading her into the apartment occupied by Benkired's sister in the building.

Investigators report that Benkired raped and attacked the schoolgirl with scissors and a box cutter, then bound her with duct tape, including around her face, causing her death by asphyxiation.

She placed the body in a trunk and left the building, stopping outside a cafe where she told a suspicious patron that she was "selling a kidney" when questioned about her unusual luggage.

She then persuaded a friend to drive her and the bags to his residence, before taking a taxi with the trunk back to her sister's building. She fled upon seeing police in the area but was apprehended the following day.

The investigation revealed that Benkired had a difficult childhood raised by aunts before moving to France in 2013.

She told investigators she had been angry with the girl's mother, who had refused to provide her with an entry badge for the building, despite her sister giving her a key to the apartment.

The investigation also uncovered that she had conducted online searches related to witchcraft days before the murder.

Benkired's trial is scheduled to continue until next Friday, and she faces a potential life sentence if convicted.