The Misery Machine - The Case of Lola Daviet

Episode Date: March 2, 2026

This week, Drewby and Yergy travel to France to discuss the case of Lola Daviet, a 12-year-old Parisian schoolgirl and gymnastics champion whose brutal murder shocked the whole country and became a focal point for intense national debate on immigration and security. On October 14th, 2022, Lola was abducted after returning from her school, Collège Georges Brassens, in the 19th Arrondissement (District) of Paris. Her body was found by a homeless man later that evening inside of a plastic storage trunk. Dahbia Benkired, a 24-year-old Algerian national who was in France on an expired visa, was arrested and charged with her murder.Support Our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Materials Available Upon Request.

Lola Davie was born on July 18th, 2010 in France to parents Johan and Delphine. According to Delphine, Lola was a happy, loving young girl, happy to be alive. Yama Vah Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th, and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at yamava Theater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter.

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With her soft blue eyes and blonde hair, she looked exactly like her mother, who lovingly called her her mini-me. Growing up, Lola always was watched over by her older brothers, Jordon and Debo. Delphine described their family as tight-knit, saying, we were always together. Of course, we argued too, but it never lasted long. She also spoke of Johann as a deeply devoted father who would have done anything for his children. Lola's parents had moved to Paris in hopes of giving their children a better future. They lived and worked as caretakers for a 12-story apartment building in Paris's 19th district. On the weekends, the family would head up to camp where they would play games and dine on muscles and fries.

Lola loved walking her Yorkshire Terrier Daisy around the property. The same happy routine remained largely. unchanged for nearly six years. Lola had a strong interest in gymnastics. At school, she was part of a trio of mischievous girls. One of the girls from the group said she had known Lola since first grade and that Lola was the first person she befriended after moving there. Friday, October 14th, 2022 was supposed to be a normal day for Lola. Delphine was packing for the family's weekend camping trip. After lunch, she took a short nap. Lola was expected to get home from school around 2.40 p.m. but she never came home that day.

Delphine woke up, she started to panic. She told her husband, this isn't normal, this is strange, it's not like her not to let us know. At 3 p.m., Johan called her school, but was told that Lola had already left and had been seen walking home. From the very beginning, Delphine feared the worst.

She later explained that her whole body felt shattered, saying, from the moment I didn't hear back, I said to myself, it's not good, there was something. Delphine grabbed a photo of Lola and went to the nearest police station to report her daughter missing. At the station, the police brushed off the 12-year-old girl's disappearance. They suggested that she was probably out with a boyfriend and would return later, but her parents knew this wasn't the case. Lola had never shown any interest in boys.

She had always been open with her mother. If Lola had a boyfriend, Delfine would have known. Later, Yohan decided to take matters into his own hands and reviewed the building's security footage, As the property manager, he had access to the security cameras. The footage showed Lola entering the apartment building at 2.40 p.m. Walking beside her was a woman wearing a gray jacket and light-colored pants. The woman seemed vaguely familiar to Lola's parents, though they weren't sure how. Moments later, the woman pushed Lola into the elevator.

The elevator went up to the sixth floor, where the woman forced Lola into an apartment. Horrified, Johan immediately took the video recording and rushed to get it to the police. An active investigation was open shortly afterwards. Delphine made the following post to Facebook, which read in part that Lola was, last seen at 3.20 p.m. with a young woman we don't know in our building. She is dressed in white jeans, a white-hooded sweater, and her gray backpack. Officers searched the 12-story apartment building from top to bottom but found no sign of Lola. However, what they did find was a box cutter and a tape roll in the basement along with signs of a struggle,

but the police never publicly shared the details. Everyone had hoped to locate Lola alive, but that hope was shattered by what was found next. At around 11 p.m., a man entered the courtyard of a building close to where Lola had lived. There, he noticed two suitcases in a large trunk left out in the open. Thinking he might have stumbled upon something valuable, he opened the trunk, only to discover the corpse of a young girl buried under a pile of linen. Police responded to the scene, and the body was almost immediately identified as 12-year-old Lola. Some reports have noted that Lola was found without any clothes and her hands and feet were bound.

Her head was covered with duct tape and cuts and bruises were found all over her body. Some sources claim her throat was deeply cut while others claimed that her head was completely severed. The number zero and one were found on the soles of her feet, inked and red nail polish. However, other reports have stated that the numbers had been etched directly into her skin like a tattoo. An autopsy later determined that Lola died from asphyxiation caused by the tape covering her face. All other injuries were inflicted post-mortem. The extreme brutality of the crime suggested that the perpetrator might have harbored a personal grudge against Lola. By 2 a.m. the following day, Lola's parents were informed of their daughter's death.

Delphine blamed herself, saying, I tell myself that maybe I shouldn't have taken that nap because I usually go out at that time when she comes home, so I would definitely come across her. Folks knew the Colonel approved of his new honey-chilly crisp and halapena ranch sauces the moment he tasted them and said, that's right. No notes. Just absolute silence.

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investigators spotted the same young woman around 5 p.m. on October 14th roaming near Lola's residence. She could be seen dragging a large trunk along with two suitcases throughout the 19th district. The woman was quickly identified as 24-year-old Dhabia bin Kyrid, the younger sister of 26-year-old Freya-Bin-Kirid, who lived on the sixth floor of the same apartment building as Lola. Fria was brought in for questioning and confirmed that the woman seen with Lola and the footage was her sister.

Dabia was later arrested in a suburb of Paris. As they interrogated Dabia, it was discovered that her visa had expired. When in 1998 in Algeria, she first came to France with her sister in May of 2016 on a student visa. Both of the sisters lived with their mother in a tiny apartment above a restaurant before eventually moving into a larger unit. Dabia enrolled in a French culinary program but never completed her studies. One of her former teachers later described her as a pathological liar who skipped nearly all of her classes. Born to Freya, the family struggled significantly when they first arrived in France, and their mother later died of cancer. After her death, Freya began staying in the apartment building.

The official tenant was abroad on a long trip, and Freya was only there temporarily. Like her sister, she was also living in France on an expired visa and supported herself with a small job at a bakery. Dobby has submitted multiple asylum applications starting in 2017, all of which were rejected. These rejections resulted in two expulsion orders, one issued in 2019 when her student visa had expired, and another on August 21, 2022 after she was detained at Orly Airport without valid ID or a plane ticket. Authorities took her in for questioning, but since she had no prior criminal record, she was not detained and was instead ordered to leave France within 30 days. Dabia and Freya somehow managed to get social housing in Paris, which is primarily reserved for legal residents.

According to Freya, her relationship with Dabia broke down over time due to her mental health challenges and eventually led to Freya kicking her out. Dhabia occasionally stayed with friends, but eventually she became homeless. At the police station, Freya described Dabia as the bad seat of the family and confessed that her sister had always caused problems, even when their mother was sick. She also heavily was reliant on drugs and was incapable of holding a normal conversation. When questioned about the events of October 14th, Freya told investigators that upon returning home, she found her apartment in a state of disarray and suspected that Dabia had been there. At around 10.30 p.m., Dabia arrived again, this time carrying a trunk in two suitcases. She appeared panicked and her sister asked for help disposing of them.

Freer appealing asked about what was inside the trunk, but Dabia refused to. used to say. The two sisters eventually dumped the items in the courtyard of another apartment building. At the time, she believed her sister may have killed her boyfriend. According to Freya, her sister was exploitative, a liar, a thief, and quite capable of murder. She also assumed Dabia would stay the night, but she left immediately afterwards. Dabia did have a previous encounter with police. In 2019, Dabia had a doctor's appointment, and when she was asked for payment, Dabia became upset and attacked the receptionist. She then left the building yelling, I'll come back. You don't know what I'm capable of.

The next day, she returned with a friend, just as she had threatened to do. But instead of causing a scene, she behaved calmly and paid the outstanding fee. Still, the two receptionists filed the police report against Davia. When the hospital administration later learned of the altercation, they decided to fire the two receptionists instead of supporting them. Given Davia's background in her sister's statements, investigators initially believe she would be a skilled liar with cover stories for every crime. question, but that wasn't the case at all. During her fourth interview with police, Dabia confessed to killing Lola. She didn't show any remorse at all and said, I had my pleasure, and that was that. Dabia said she saw Lola outside the apartment complex. There she told Lola that she lived in the

same building. Afterwards, she dragged the girl into the elevator and then into Fria's apartment. Fria wasn't home at the time, which gave Dabia ample time and space to fulfill her sick fantasies. Once inside Freya's apartment, Dobia forced the 12-year-old girl to shower before she essayed her. Authorities never released the full details of what occurred inside the apartment. However, what we do know is that Lola was subjected to extreme violence. After the assault, Dabia gagged Lola with tape, and as she laid there struggling to breathe, Dabia calmly made coffee, listened to music, washed her clothes in her sister's washing machine, and rested. Dabia wasn't done. She went back to Lola and stabbed her multiple times.

In her statements to police, she claimed she had not intended to kill the girl, but at the same time, she confessed that she drank Lola's blood and stored some in a bottle. This alleged bottle was never found during the course of the investigation. Dabia also denied responsibility for certain injuries, including the ways in which she was mutilated post-mortem. Dabia claimed that she mistook Lola for her mother and hence took her anger, out on her. We're in reports, Dhabia had previously asked Delfine for a key card to the apartment building, which Delfine allegedly refused. Later, when a detective showed a picture of Lola's

dead body to Dabia, she said, this leaves me indifferent. I was essayed too, and I saw my parents die in front of me. During the interrogation, Dabia kept taking her confessions back. She told the detectives that she had been lying all along or that she had a bad dream the night prior. She saw that she could never kill a child and blame the crime on a stranger with a gun and even a ghost. But she had said enough and the police had clear footage of her dragging the trunk that Lola was found in through the street. In the footage, Dabia appeared calm and collected. She talked with strangers passing by and at one point casually dropped the trunk as if it were of no importance. She then entered a cafe where she had a coffee and a croissant. The authorities were able to

track down some of the people she talked to. Although she appeared normal, according to the witnesses, her speech and behavior was anything but that. Several people reported that she asked for help carrying her luggage. She even asked random strangers if they knew where she could sell human organs. According to one local resident, we saw her come into the building. She was all alone, after she came out moments later. We saw her half an hour later with a suitcase. She talked to everyone a little. She looked a little crazy. She acted a little crazy. She couldn't carry these suitcase. We thought about heavy things. She was a little thin. We never thought there was a body in it. Eventually, Dabia contacted a 43-year-old acquaintance name Amin, who drove her to his apartment in a

suburb just outside of Paris. She stayed there for several hours, but later that night, she ordered an Uber and returned to Freya's apartment. Both Amin and the Uber driver claimed that they were unaware of the contents of the trunk. In total, six people were brought in for questioning in connection to Lola's murder. Dabia, Friha, Amin's roommate, the man who reported the trunk in which Lola was found, and according to reports, Dabia's on and off again boyfriend. After a thorough investigation, all evidence pointed to Dabia as the sole perpetrator. Sister Fria was deported in December of 2022.

On October 17th, Dabia was indicted for murder and aggravated essay with acts of torture and barbarity. After the indictment, she was held in isolation in Fresnes Prison. A few days after the murder, Johan and Delphine traveled to retrieve their daughter's remains. There they read Lola's autopsy report. Johan later shared, I read the autopsy report, my wife did too. I carry it in my head. It's horrible. I wouldn't wish what she went through on anyone.

Delphine recalled that moment as unbearable. She stated, I felt one big stab at that moment. We really knew everything that she had done to her and it hurts. She stopped breathing all alone. In the wake of Lola's murder, local residents were terrified of letting their children outside. In response, the Ministry of Education arranged for support for the students at Lola's school. 19th District Mayor Francois Dagnos shared that, it's a terrible ordeal that this college, this school community,

and an entire neighborhood are going through. Today is the time of mourning of the investigation which seems to be progressing rapidly. French President Emmanuel Macron also met with Lola's parents. He described the murder as an act of extreme evil. One of Lola's friends later said, I can't really imagine her. As time goes by, I'll notice it, and I won't be doing well at all, I think,

without her being there in the mornings. It's going to be hard. For me, it's an unreality because we were still laughing together on Friday. People from the area openly blame the government for Lola's murder, arguing that if the laws have been properly enforced, Dabia would have been in Algeria and Lola would still be alive. Lola's parents, however, disapproved of that narrative. They did not want their daughter's name to be used for political purposes.

Several protests were organized in Lola's name, despite her family explicitly requesting that those protests not be held. Supporters of the French far-right politician Eric Zamore gathered in Paris to denounce last week's brutal murder of 12-year-old Lola. They say the killing should be a wake-up call for authorities to enforce immigration laws, after it emerged that the Algerian woman charged with the crime had overstayed her visa and had been ordered to leave the country. The government has acknowledged that it must do better,

but deputies in the French National Assembly are split over drawing political conclusions from the tragedy. We all bear the responsibility collectively. We are taking the necessary decisions on the question of people order to quit the country. We are taken the necessary decisions on psychiatry. which has been destroyed in our country for years. I'm quite prepared to talk about the issue of immigration,

but doing so with the emotional overhang of this tragedy risks altering the judgment of those who have to legislate or take decisions. Lola's body was found in a trunk in front of her home. The location has now been flooded with flowers and tributes in response to the senseless murder. The political reaction, however, has been a very however, has been less united. It was becoming obvious that the defense would attempt to use Dabia's mental health as a defense

in court. During her time in solitary confinement, she began banging her head on the walls. According to some reports, she mutilated her own fingers, shaved parts of her head, and was also very aggressive with staff. In February of 2023, Dabia was transferred to a psychiatric facility. There, she was examined by multiple medical professionals who noted that she exhibited the behavior of a compulsive liar, frequently fabricating stories in an apparent attempt to evade responsibility. A prime example of this is what Dabia said

in a court hearing in June of 2023. Dabi claimed that Lola entered with her in the building voluntarily. But once inside, Lola got nervous. Dabia's own words, I hit her a little. I wasn't feeling well, in fact. I did what I had to do.

I overdid it a little just to have my fun, and that's it. According to Johann, Dhabia's entire story of how Delphine refused to give her a key card was also made up. He said in an interview, There was no badge story. She is the one who swiped her badge at the entrance of the apartment building. She came in first and my daughter arrived behind her. There was no badge story.

It's bullshit. Ultimately, it was established that Dabia did not suffer from psychosis, mood disorders, or any anxiety disorders. What's difficult in murders such as these that are so unbelievably heinous and seemingly so random is figuring out what was the actual motive. For many people, this can help with finding some sense of closure, but the sad thing is with Lola's murder, we will likely never know other than that this was clearly an evil person. But this didn't stop people from making public statements about theories. According to a retired magistrate, and a magistrate is what we would know as a judge in the U.S., he felt Lola's murder was similar to the so-called Zuri Child's sacrifices reported in parts of Algeria and Morocco. In North African folklore, a Zuri child is believed to be a human gin hybrid.

These children are at risk of kidnapping and ritual sacrifice due to superstitions that their blood possesses supernatural properties, specifically for locating hidden treasures. A child is identified as a zuri based on specific physical markers, such as their eye or hair color, among other things. These rituals often end in the murder of the child or their abandonment in remote locations. However, the investigators completely dismissed this as being the motive behind Lola's murder. Still, Lola's death left deep scars in the community and obviously most profoundly on her parents. Lola's mother shared in an interview, my life will always be complicated.

She was my life, my ray of sunshine. I will always have the scar. I feel a lot of anger towards this person. I hope the trial can help me understand the why and the how. I'm waiting to see what the other person is going to say, their answers. Johan spoke openly about the toll the tragedy had taken on him. He said, I am surviving. I am not well. And maybe that's why I want to talk today to free myself a little because there comes a time when it has to come out.

I'm not going well at all. In fact, she didn't just destroy a child's life. No, she had destroyed an entire family. For a year, I fell back into my dean. even though I hadn't drunk for more than three years. What keeps me going today? I have two sons. I have a mother and I have a wife too. It's my family that keeps me going. I have to keep going for them. It's been a year and I'm devastated. For the tragedy, I had a happy life. Until the end of my life, this day, October 14th, will be in my head. My daughter is my love. She will always remain the

love of my life. This woman who took my daughter's life, she killed an entire family. Sadly, on February 23rd, 2024, Johann died at just 49 years old. Some reports claim that he died of a heart attack, while others claimed that he descended into alcoholism and died of grief. We believe that both potentially could be correct here. Shortly after his death, the family's lawyer released a statement saying, "'Yohan has his head and his heart too close to hell since the acts committed against his daughter.

He was going downhill. His heart attack is the epilogue of his descent into hell. We lost him from day one. We did everything and tried, but there was nothing that we could do anymore. This is the aspect of murder that is difficult to truly capture and explain in a way that's understandable to someone who has never had a loved one murdered. What stays with you forever? What kind of impact does this leave on you? All right, class, settle down.

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Class dismissed! Savings of up to $1 per gallon redeemable with $20 rewards dollars in your loyalty account. At participating locations, terms and conditions apply. A mother who lost a child once told me that the death of her daughter felt like it happened yesterday and a lifetime ago simultaneously. What we don't see after the video is done is the burden the parent has to carry forever. It's not unheard of for it to eventually take the life of the parent to. In essence, Dhabia bin Kyrid not only murdered Lola, but ultimately murdered Yohan as well.

Justice was finally served on October 24, 2025. Dhabia was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This verdict made Dabia the first woman in France to, received this sentence since it was introduced into French law 31 years prior in 1994. Lola's brother Tibo said, we got what we wanted. We restored my sister's memory. We restored the truth. Thank you to justice.

We are happy with the response we got. In the weeks and months that followed, Lola's family and community chose to give her a proper send-off. Neighbors gathered outside Lola's apartment building, laying flowers in her memory. Lola's funeral service was held on October 24th, 2022 in Delphine's hometown. The ceremony was open to all who wished to pay their respects, while burial at the cemetery was conducted in strict privacy. Hundreds of people gathered at 2.30 p.m. inside the church. After Johann's death in 2024, he was laid to rest beside his daughter.

Thousands of other people who were unable to attend the ceremony expressed their support by sending messages to the family. The French Gymnastics Federation also set up a support unit at the club where Lola was registered. In 2023, Lola's brother T. Bo paid tribute to her in a letter published by La Figuero. The letter translated from French reads as follows. Hi, my Lola, my little sister. I'm writing this to you to tell you how much I miss you since you went to be with the stars. I'm so bored without you. I can't even tease you or laugh with you anymore. I also wanted to thank you for watching over us. I'm so sorry.

It's supposed to be the other way around. A big brother's role is to protect his little sister and then teach her things, and I didn't even manage to do that. I hope you'll forgive me someday. But I promise you I'll take care of mom and dad and make them laugh whenever things are tough, and even when they're not. It's been a year since you left us, and life is so long without you. You met grandpa and great-grandpa because we never knew them,

and I hope they're nice to you, although I'm sure they are. And how is grandma and his uncle happy that we won the World Cup in 2018? We never got to celebrate it with him. I'm ending this message by telling you that I love you. I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy and make my family happy. Flying kisses. If Lola's case resonated with you, then please click here to check out the case of Emily Jones out of Manchester, UK. Emily was stabbed to death in broad daylight on Mother's Day of 2020 right in front of her parents.