Algerian Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Torture and Murder of 12-Year-Old Lola Daviet
A French court has sentenced Dahbia Benkired, 27, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the horrific rape, torture, and murder of 12-year-old Lola Daviet in October 2022. The sentence marks the first time a woman in France has received the maximum penalty, reflecting the extreme brutality of the crime. After four hours of deliberation, the jury delivered the verdict, citing the “extreme cruelty” of Benkired’s actions as “true torture.”
The court acknowledged the sentence would not alleviate the family’s suffering, with the presiding judge stating, “This decision will not give you back Lola. However, we hope that it will be a step in your recovery process,” as Lola’s mother and son embraced, overcome with emotion.
Lola’s body was discovered in a suitcase in the lobby of her apartment building in Paris. Investigators found the young girl’s legs, feet, wrists, and face bound with scotch tape, and her body bore at least 38 stab wounds. According to the Attorney General, Benkired’s actions were driven by a deliberate intent to inflict “acute physical and mental pain” on her victim, denying her all human dignity.
Prior to the verdict, Benkired offered a brief statement, saying, “I ask for forgiveness, what I did was horrible.” She has 10 days to appeal the decision. The case ignited public outrage in France, with dozens gathering outside the courthouse holding signs demanding justice, including calls for the death penalty.
The Attorney General emphasized that Benkired, an Algerian migrant, should not have been in France, having overstayed a student visa. He further stated she was allowed to prey on Lola “for pleasure and the satisfaction of sexual urges.”
The six-day trial revealed harrowing details of the torture Lola endured. The Attorney General described Benkired as “extremely dangerous,” posing a maximum risk of reoffending. The “irreducible life sentence” imposed is the most severe penalty under French law, though it has faced criticism from human rights organizations.
During the trial, Lola’s mother, Delphine Daviet, 47, tearfully recounted her family’s life before the tragedy, describing it as “very simple” and “very attentive to one another.” She expressed profound guilt, stating, “I feel guilty, I couldn’t save my Lola.” Tragically, Lola’s father, Johan Daviet, 49, died in February of the previous year, succumbing to grief and heavy drinking following his daughter’s murder. Before his death, he had left a letter on Benkired’s door, expressing his incomprehension at the cruelty inflicted upon his daughter and professing his enduring love for her.
Benkired, who was homeless and reportedly earning money through prostitution, forced Lola to perform a sex act before partially severing her head and placing her body in the suitcase. In court, Benkired chillingly recounted how Lola pleaded with her not to be hurt before being led to her apartment, initially assuring the child, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
The investigation revealed Benkired had been in an argument with her former partner, Mustapha M., and initially intended to harm him. “I said to myself in my head I’m going to hurt someone,” she told the court, even admitting she had planned to shoot him with his own gun. However, she encountered Lola shortly after the altercation.
CCTV footage showed Lola willingly helping Benkired carry suitcases into her apartment building, unaware of the horrific fate that awaited her. Once inside, Benkired admitted to asking Lola to undress and shower, noting the child appeared “scared.” She then confessed to sexually assaulting Lola and striking her head against the shower wall. Benkired claimed the blows were “not hard,” but the medical examiner’s report detailed the extent of Lola’s suffering.
The medical examiner determined Lola died of asphyxia caused by the tape, but her body also exhibited signs of extensive knife mutilation. “There are a multitude of wounds on Lola’s body, at least 38,” the Attorney General stated. “At least two blows with scissors perforated the rib cage, causing unimaginable suffering.” Images of Lola’s injuries were presented during the trial, forcing some family members to leave the courtroom. The examination also revealed “visible traumatic injuries” to Lola’s genitals.
Benkired admitted to forcing oral sex on Lola but denied penetration, despite forensic evidence to the contrary. She stated she began to harm Lola out of fear she would tell her family, unleashing “all the hatred” she felt. “Either way, I knew she was going to die,” she said. The schoolgirl suffered 38 stab and scissor wounds to her back and neck before succumbing to asphyxia.
According to testimony, Benkired described seeing Lola’s skin as “hard, like a sheep’s,” and admitted to writing the numbers “0” and “1” on the child’s feet at that point. Investigators discovered Benkired had researched witchcraft online in the days leading up to the murder, reportedly seeing a “ghost” in Lola and acting out of “fear” of a “devil incarnate.”
A clinical psychologist testified that Benkired’s actions suggested “an almost sexual pleasure in the abuse inflicted on someone,” even if sexual sadism is rare. After the murder, Benkired bound Lola’s body with tape and transported it around Paris in a suitcase before abandoning it on the street, where it was discovered by a homeless man. CCTV footage captured Benkired opening the suitcase containing Lola’s body while at a bar hours after the killing.
Police recovered a pair of scissors, an oyster knife, and an IKEA knife from Benkired’s apartment, all bearing traces of blood. Benkired had arrived in France in 2013 at age 14 but was subject to an expulsion order in August 2022 after overstaying her student visa – just two months before Lola’s murder. The case has reignited debate surrounding immigration policies and the protection of vulnerable children in France.
