A court in France has sentenced an Algerian migrant to life imprisonment without parole for the horrific rape, torture and murder of a 12-year-old schoolgirl in a case that shocked the nation.
The Horrific Attack on Lola Daviet
In October 2022, 12-year-old Lola Daviet returned to her Paris apartment building from school and was never seen alive again. Her body was later discovered stuffed inside a plastic trunk, discarded on a street near her parents' workplace. The perpetrator was Dahbia Benkired, a 24-year-old Algerian woman who lived in the same building with her sister.
The court heard that Benkired subjected Lola to an unimaginable ordeal. The child was sexually assaulted, attacked with scissors and a box cutter, and had her head partially severed. Her head, nose, and mouth were bound with tape, and a medical expert confirmed she ultimately died from suffocation. The schoolgirl sustained 38 separate wounds to her back and neck.
A doctor testified to the "physical, psychological and moral suffering" inflicted, stating that death by asphyxiation is "very anxiety-provoking" and goes beyond mere physical pain. Disturbing images shown in court revealed Lola had also suffered "visible traumatic injuries" to her genitals.
Chilling Evidence and Motive
CCTV footage played a central role in the trial. One clip showed Lola entering her building and speaking with Benkired at around 3pm on the day of her death, before being led into an apartment. Later, footage captured Benkired dragging a trunk through the streets and, most chillingly, unzipping the same suitcase in a busy Paris bar hours after the murder, seemingly with the victim's body inside.
The prosecution alleged the attack was an act of retaliation. Benkired reportedly harboured resentment towards Lola's mother, Delphine Daviet, who worked as the building's caretaker, for refusing to provide her with a key fob for the main door. Benkired's sister had already given her a key to their flat.
Police who searched Benkired's flat found a pair of scissors, an oyster knife, and an IKEA knife, all stained with blood.
Life Sentence and Family's Anguish
At her trial in October 2025, Benkired, now aged 27, confessed and expressed remorse. "What I did was horrible," she told the Paris Assize Court. "I would like to ask the whole family for forgiveness. What I did was horrible and I regret it."
On October 24, 2025, she was found guilty of murder, rape, and acts of torture and barbarity. The court handed down the most severe punishment available: life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.
Lola's family attended court wearing matching t-shirts bearing her image and the words: 'You were the sun of our life, you will be the star of our nights.' Her mother, Delphine, demanded "justice." Lola's brother, Thibault Daviet, also spoke, telling the court he was representing his entire family, including his father, who had died following the tragedy.
The court heard that Benkired had been in France since 2013 on a student visa, which had expired. She was under an order to leave the country at the time of the murder. She described a difficult childhood involving abuse and said she suffered a mental breakdown after her parents' deaths, smoking up to 20 cannabis joints daily to cope.
