A French man convicted for his role in the 2016 armed robbery of reality star, Kim Kardashian, in Paris has died, a source close to the case confirmed on Thursday.
Didier Dubreucq, 69, who was among eight individuals convicted earlier this year for the high-profile heist, had been battling lung cancer.
Diagnosed during his time in pre-trial detention, he had been receiving chemotherapy treatment throughout the legal proceedings.
The gang was accused of making off with jewellery valued at $10 million, including a diamond ring reportedly belonging to Kardashian’s then-husband, rapper Kanye West. The robbery occurred during the night of October 2–3, 2016, in a luxury Paris hotel.
Known by investigators as “Blue Eyes” for his striking gaze, Dubreucq was alleged to be one of the two men who entered Kardashian’s room that night.
However, he consistently denied participating in the robbery.
He was sentenced last month by a Paris court to seven years in prison, with five years suspended.
Due to his ongoing cancer treatment and time already served in custody, two years in pre-trial detention, he did not return to jail.
In April, Dubreucq made a court appearance following a chemotherapy session to insist on his innocence. “I had nothing to do” with the crime, he told the court.
Though he had previously served a 23-year sentence for armed robbery, Dubreucq rejected any suggestion that he fit the label.
“I’m a good guy,” he said. “I don’t like being called an ‘armed robber’.”
He added that fatherhood, which came late in his life at age 50, had changed him. “Since becoming a father, I put an end to the big mistakes,” he said.
None of the eight people sentenced last month, including 69-year-old mastermind Aomar Ait Khedache, were sent back to prison due to the years already spent in detention before trial.
