Key facts
- Cédric Jubillar, convicted of murdering his wife Delphine, has confessed to the crime.
- Delphine's body has never been found since her disappearance in December 2020.
- Jubillar was sentenced to 30 years in prison last year.
- He admitted to killing Delphine after a marital dispute.
- Jubillar has promised to lead investigators to where he disposed of her remains.
A Frenchman convicted of murdering his wife, whose body was never recovered, has confessed to the crime from prison. Cédric Jubillar, 38, admitted in a letter to his lawyers that he was responsible for the death of Delphine, 33, at their home in southern France in December 2020, following a marital dispute. He has also pledged to reveal the location where he disposed of her remains.
Jubillar was sentenced to 30 years in jail last year after a jury found sufficient circumstantial evidence to convict him, despite his consistent claims of innocence. His appeal was scheduled to begin in two months, but this development may lead to its postponement.
The case began when Jubillar reported his wife missing in the early hours of December 16, 2020. Delphine, a night nurse, and Cédric had two young children. Investigations revealed the couple had a troubled relationship; Cédric was a daily cannabis user with unstable employment, while Delphine was involved with another man she met online and the couple were contemplating divorce.
Extensive searches of the surrounding area, including disused mineshafts, failed to locate Delphine's body. However, a case was built against Cédric, leading to his arrest and detention in mid-2021.
Malika Chmani, the lawyer for the couple's two children, expressed relief for the children and urged Jubillar to disclose the whereabouts of his wife's body, a step she hopes will now occur.