The key suspect behind the armed robbery of Kim Kardashian in 2016 has suddenly passed away at the age of 72. Marceau Baum-Gertner had reportedly been receiving death threats as the trial date approached; at this time, officials have not revealed his cause of death.
On October 2, 2016, while attending Paris Fashion Week, Kim Kardashian was staying at a luxury hotel, the Hôtel de Pourtalès. Early that morning, five armed men disguised as police officers forced their way into her apartment, where she was alone. The assailants bound her wrists and ankles, gagged her with duct tape, and placed her in the bathtub. They then stole approximately 10 million worth of jewelry, including a 4 million dollar engagement ring from her then-husband, Kanye West. Kardashian managed to free herself and alert authorities after the robbers fled the scene.
Authorities launched an investigation, and in January 2017, they arrested 12 people tied to the crime. Among the suspects were several elderly men, leading the French media to dub them the “grandpa robbers.”
One of the suspects, Yunice Abbas, 71, later published a memoir titled “I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian,” in which he admitted to his involvement but claimed he never entered Kardashian’s room. Another suspect, Aomar Ait Khedache, 68, known as “Old Omar,” also confessed to being involved in the heist but denied orchestrating the entire operation.
Kardashian is reportedly scheduled to fly to Paris to give testimony in the trial. Baum-Gertner was allegedly responsible for finding buyers for the stolen possessions, including the 4-million-dollar engagement ring that has never been recovered. Baum-Gertner was nicknamed Rough Nose and was a leading figure in the Paris underworld with multiple convictions for handling stolen goods, forgery, and robbery.
