French woman receives life sentence for raping, torturing and killing 12-year-old teenager

The Paris court highlighted in its decision “the extreme cruelty” of the facts and the “indescribable psychological damage caused to the victim and family” in “almost unspeakable” circumstances.

“I beg your pardon, it’s horrible what I did. That’s all I have to say,” Benkired said in his last words before the judges and popular jury retired for deliberation.

The crime took place on October 14, 2022 in a building in northeast Paris, where Lola’s parents lived and worked as janitors and Benkired’s sister also lived.

Surveillance images from the residence located in a family neighborhood showed the accused approaching the 12-year-old teenager as the girl returned from school.

Benkired forced the girl to accompany her to her sister’s apartment, where he raped her, attacked her with scissors and a box cutter and asphyxiated her with duct tape, according to the investigation.

Then she placed the corpse in a trunk and fled. Even though she returned to her sister’s apartment, Benkired was arrested at a friend’s house a day later.