The disappearance and discovery
On October 14, 2022, Lola Daviet did not return home after school. Her family quickly began searching for her in and around the apartment building where they lived in Paris's 19th arrondissement.
Investigators used building surveillance footage, witness accounts and movements around the residence to reconstruct what had happened. Dahbia Benkired, who had access to an apartment in the building through a family connection, emerged as the central suspect and was taken into custody shortly after Lola's death.
The criminal investigation
The investigation established that Lola had been taken into the apartment and killed there. Prosecutors also brought charges involving rape and acts of torture or barbarity. Because of the severity of the case and the age of the victim, it attracted intense national attention and substantial political commentary.
Crime by Region does not use that commentary to infer motive or broader social meaning. The criminal case was decided on evidence concerning Benkired's conduct, the victim's movements, forensic findings and the defendant's own statements.
Competency and criminal responsibility
During the 2025 trial, psychiatric experts testified that Benkired did not have a mental disorder that abolished or impaired her criminal responsibility. That finding was important because the court had to determine whether she could be held fully responsible for the crimes charged.
Public accounts of possible motives varied and at times were contradictory. The court did not need to endorse every explanation offered by the defendant. The final verdict instead focused on the proven acts and her responsibility for them.
The 2025 trial
Benkired was tried before the Paris assize court in October 2025. After a week of hearings, the court convicted her of the crimes involving Lola's murder, rape and acts of torture or barbarity.
On October 24, 2025, the court sentenced Benkired to réclusion criminelle à perpétuité with an incompressible security period, commonly described in French reporting as “perpétuité incompressible” or “perpétuité réelle.” It is the most severe custodial sentence available under French criminal law and, according to contemporary reporting, was the first time it had been imposed on a woman.
October 14, 2022: Lola Daviet is reported missing and is later found dead in Paris; the homicide investigation begins.
October 2022: Dahbia Benkired is arrested and placed under formal investigation.
October 17–24, 2025: Benkired is tried before the Paris assize court.
October 24, 2025: she is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with an incompressible security period.
November 3–4, 2025: the appeal deadline expires without an appeal; reporting based on judicial sources confirms that the conviction remains unchanged.
The sentence and its meaning
The phrase “life without parole” can be misleading when applied across legal systems. French reporting described Benkired's sentence as an incompressible life term. Under French law, even this exceptional sentence has a narrowly defined possibility of later judicial review after a very long period. It is therefore more accurate to state the sentence by its French legal form than to import terminology from another country.
The key point for the case status is that the conviction became final after Benkired chose not to appeal within the permitted period.
Current status
As of August 24, 2026, the governing criminal outcome remains the October 2025 conviction and sentence. No appeal was filed, and there is no unresolved question about who was convicted for Lola's murder.
For that reason, Crime by Region classifies the case as solved and adjudicated. This classification concerns criminal responsibility only; it does not minimize the continuing impact of the crime on Lola's family.
Sources
Archive context
This case is included in the France archive. Related French case files include The Murder of Maëlys de Araujo, The Murder of Alexia Daval and The Murder of Grégory Villemin.