Table of Contents
- Chilling Confession in Court
- Details of the Murder Case
- Claims of Drug Use
- Prosecution's Case
- Victim's Suffering
- Political Impact of the Case
- Progress of the Trial
A FEMALE migrant who has admitted to torturing, raping, and brutally murdering a schoolgirl made a chilling confession in court today.
Algerian migrant Dahbia Benkired, now 27, is accused of in a case that shocked France three years ago.
Lola Daviet, 12, was brutally murdered three years agoCredit: Reuters
Dahbia Benkired, now 27, is accused of luring Lola Daviet to her death,Credit: DR
In court today, she stated: “I know I killed a baby, an angel.”
Benkired is alleged to have raped and slashed Lola before partially fracturing her skull and slowly suffocating her to death in Paris three years ago.
On Monday – the second day of the trial – Benkired spoke publicly for the first time about the murder, attributing it to drug use.
She informed the Paris Assizes that she had taken Lyrica – a medication prescribed for neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and anxiety disorders.
Benkired indicated that she was using it to manage the psychological distress of being a street prostitute.
She claimed, “To tell you the truth, the day before, I had taken three Lyrica tablets, and that’s what put me in this state. The next day, I lost control.”
When the judge inquired why she had not presented this account earlier, Benkired responded: “I know I killed a baby, an angel. She must be in heaven by now.”
When asked if the drugs had driven her to commit rape and murder, Benkired answered, “Yes.”
Pressed for further clarification, she stated: “I don’t know, I wasn’t myself.”
Benkired is said to have abducted Lola from the lobby of the apartment building where she lived in the French capital.
Although Benkired has confessed to the horrific crimes, prosecutors still need to substantiate their case against her, in accordance with French law.
They assert that Benkired slashed Lola’s throat with scissors and a box cutter before taping her face with duct tape, which resulted in her death due to asphyxiation.
During Monday’s court session, Lola’s mother’s lawyers asked a forensic pathologist whether Lola would have experienced suffering at the end, noting they had been “haunted by the question.”
The expert replied: ‘Asphyxia is very distressing. It involves three aspects – physical, psychological, and emotional suffering.
Delphine Daviet, Lola’s mother, asked in court whether her daughter suffered at the endCredit: AFP
CCTV footage shows Benkired entering the building where Lola livedCredit: BMFTV
“Not being able to breathe is a significant and intense source of anxiety. She undoubtedly suffered.”
A photograph revealing 39 wounds found on Lola’s body was displayed in court to support the forensic pathologist’s testimony.
The image was projected onto a screen, prompting many attendees to leave the courtroom – but her immediate family members remained.
Benkired, however, stared at the screen without displaying any emotion.
At the trial's opening on Friday, Benkired expressed remorse for her “horrible actions” after admitting to raping, torturing, and murdering Lola.
She was apprehended after Lola’s body was discovered in a trunk near the Paris apartment building where the young girl lived with her mother and father, who work as caretakers.
