Jury selection began Monday in Paris as French courts prepared to hear witness testimony in the trial of 10 people accused of stealing $9 million worth of jewelry at gunpoint from Kim Kardashian.

The defendants face charges stemming from the 2016 robbery, when they allegedly held Kardashian at gunpoint inside a private apartment during Paris Fashion Week. Five suspects reportedly arrived by bicycle and on foot, gained access to the building, and stole her jewelry, while others are accused of planning or tipping off the group about her location.

Nicknamed “the grandpa robbers” by local media because many are in their 60s and 70s, the case has been delayed so long that one defendant has died and another, aged 80, was separated from the main trial due to health issues.

Kim Kardashian pictured with her mother, Kris Jenner.

Key defendants include Aomar Ait Khedache, 69, alleged mastermind known as “Old Omar”; his son and suspected getaway driver, Harminy, 37; Didier “Blue Eyes” Dubreucq, 69; Gary Madar, 35, the brother of Kardashian’s Paris driver accused of providing insider information; and Christiane Glotin, a 78-year-old woman allegedly involved in the planning.

At least one defendant, Yunice Abbas, 72, has admitted involvement. In his 2021 book I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, Abbas described being recruited to rob a “wife of an American rapper,” realizing only later that the victim was Kardashian. His lawyer, Gabriel Dumenil, told NBC that Abbas wants “to explain himself, to express his regrets” during the trial.

Under French law, defendants do not formally plead guilty or not guilty, and the trial proceeds regardless. Because the maximum penalty exceeds 20 years, the case will be heard by a jury. Cameras are prohibited in French courts, so journalists and sketch artists will document the proceedings.

Kim Kardashian is scheduled to appear in court on May 13. She has previously called the experience terrifying, recalling in a 2017 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians how she tried to dial 911 before an intruder grabbed her phone and threw her onto the bed, leaving her certain she was going to die.