In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves across France, Dahbia Benkired, a 27-year-old Algerian immigrant, has been sentenced to a rare whole-life term for the rape and murder of 12-year-old Lola Daviet in Paris. This verdict marks the first time a woman has received such a severe penalty in the country. The case, which unfolded in October 2022, saw Lola’s body discovered in a plastic storage box in the courtyard of her family’s residence in northeastern Paris. Benkired, who was under orders to leave France, was found to exhibit ‘psychopathic’ traits by psychiatric experts, though she was deemed legally sane. The trial, presided over by a panel of three judges and six jurors, concluded with the imposition of the harshest possible sentence, a decision that underscores the gravity of the crime. Lola’s mother, Delphine Daviet, and her brother, Thibault, were present in court to hear the verdict, while her father, Johan Daviet, passed away in 2024. The case has been politicized by right-wing and far-right factions, who have used it to fuel debates on immigration and law enforcement. Benkired’s plea for forgiveness during the trial did little to sway the court, which emphasized the irreversibility of her actions and the absence of any viable treatment for her personality disorder.