Father of 12-year-old French girl dies of grief after her brutal kidnapping, torture, and beheading by an Algerian migrant—mother delivers emotional courtroom testimony
The story of 12-year-old Lola Daviet’s murder remains one of the darkest and most painful crimes to haunt France in recent memory. This week, the child’s mother gave heartbreaking testimony revealing that Lola’s father, devastated by the unimaginable brutality of their daughter’s death, died months later “of grief.” The shocking revelation came during an ongoing court proceeding as the family continues to seek justice for a tragedy that shattered a nation.
Lola Daviet’s case first drew international attention in 2022 when her mutilated and partially decapitated body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase near their apartment building in Paris. Investigators later arrested an Algerian migrant woman who, according to prosecutors, had no legal right to remain in France. The suspect was accused of kidnapping, torturing, and killing the child in what authorities described as a crime of “incomprehensible cruelty.”
During a recent hearing, Lola’s mother, Delphine Daviet, told the court that her husband, unable to recover from the trauma, fell into deep depression. She said his heart “could not survive what happened” and that he died months later, leaving behind a family destroyed by both loss and anguish. “He couldn’t bear it,” she said through tears. “He went to bed one night and never woke up.”
French media outlets confirmed that the father, who had been a maintenance worker at the school Lola attended, struggled daily after the murder. Friends said he had become reclusive, haunted by his daughter’s final moments and the gruesome details that emerged during the investigation. “He was a broken man,” one family friend told local press. “Losing Lola was like losing his life too.”
The accused, identified as 24-year-old Dahbia B., remains in custody and has undergone multiple psychiatric evaluations. Authorities say she offered inconsistent statements to police, alternately admitting and denying her involvement. Prosecutors described the crime scene as one of the most disturbing they had ever encountered, calling it “beyond reason and humanity.”
Lola’s murder became a flashpoint in France’s national debate over illegal immigration, border enforcement, and justice reform. The suspect’s status as an undocumented migrant triggered widespread outrage, with critics demanding tougher immigration controls and faster deportation procedures. Demonstrations across Paris and beyond featured tributes to Lola, candles, flowers, and calls for “justice and accountability.”
The case also reignited political divisions between France’s left and right, with conservative lawmakers citing the tragedy as a symbol of failed border policies. Others, however, warned against politicizing a child’s death, urging compassion for the family and restraint in public discourse. Despite the debates, the overwhelming sentiment across the country has been grief and horror at the senselessness of the act.
As the legal process moves forward, Delphine Daviet continues to attend court sessions, her face etched with anguish. Reporters describe her as composed yet visibly shaken each time new details are presented. “I’m here for Lola,” she said outside the courtroom. “For her memory, and for the truth.”
The family’s attorney said they hope the trial will finally bring closure, though no verdict could erase their pain. “There are wounds that never heal,” he said. “This was not just a crime against a child—it was a crime against innocence itself.”
Lola’s story has since become a national symbol of both parental love and unbearable loss. Her mother’s revelation that her husband “died of grief” has deepened public sympathy and reignited sorrow across France. It is a reminder that tragedy’s impact often stretches beyond the crime itself—leaving behind silent victims who fade away under the weight of heartbreak.
As the courtroom proceedings continue, France mourns not only a young girl’s stolen life but a father whose heart could not survive the loss of his child.
