A man accused of murdering his wife and hiding her body for nearly five years appeared in court for one of the most eagerly awaited trials in recent French criminal history.
Cédric Jubillar, 38, allegedly killed Delphine, 33, before seeking to portray himself as a husband fraught with worry.
Prosecutors say that despite the absence of a body, forensic proof or a confession, they have enough evidence to convict Jubillar. He proclaims his innocence.
Jubillar has claimed that his wife could have joined a sect or even Isis
LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
People began queuing at dawn for one of the 40 public seats in Albi courthouse in southern France, where 299 journalists were also accredited to follow a hearing that observers hope will resolve a mystery that has been headline news for the past five years.
The court was told that Delphine, a nurse, had disappeared in the night of December 15 to 16, 2020, from the half-finished house that her husband had pledged to build in Cagnac-les-Mines near Albi.
Police had used “considerable” means to locate her, Hélène Ratinaud, the presiding judge said. These included dogs, divers, drones, radars, sonars, potholers, archaeologists and mediums — all to no avail. Ratinaud said Delphine was now presumed dead.
The court was told that Delphine was fed up with the inability of her husband to hold down a steady job
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Jubillar telephoned police in the early hours to say that his wife had left and that he was concerned for her, the court was told. He called her telephone 185 times between 3.54am and 9.52am.
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However, investigators have ruled out suicide and decided that Delphine would not have left home without her two children, aged six years and 18 months at the time. Investigators have also discounted suggestions made by Jubillar that she could have joined a sect or even Isis.
They have come to the conclusion that Jubillar had killed his wife after an argument and transported her body to an unknown location, possibly in her car, the court was told.
Jubillar denies the allegations and told the court: “I continue to contest the case against me.” His lawyers say police have discovered no traces of blood or other forensic evidence pointing to a murder in the house or the car.
Jubillar’s lawyers say there is no evidence he was violent with his wife
ED JONES/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The court was told that the couple’s six-year-old son had told police that he had seen his parents shouting and pushing each other on the night of his mother’s disappearance. It also heard claims that Jubillar had twice confessed to the crime, once to a fellow inmate after he was remanded in custody, the second time to a woman who contacted him after his incarceration before starting a relationship with him.
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The court was told that Delphine had been seeking a divorce after seven years of married life. She was fed up with the inability of her husband, a painter and decorator by trade, to hold down a steady job or to complete the family home he was supposed to be building.
Tributes to Delphine outside the house in Cagnac-les-Mines that she and Cédric lived in
LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
He was a regular drug user, the court was told. Delphine had begun a relationship with another man with whom she was planning to live. The man’s own wife had recently discovered the liaison and contacted Delphine.
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On the night of her disappearance, Delphine exchanged numerous text messages with her lover, sending him a photograph of herself. Prosecutors argue that Jubillar discovered the text messages and flew into a rage that ended in murder.
The court was told that Jubillar had become jealous and possessive of his wife. She told a friend he was making her life “hell”. Several witnesses said he “belittled” her and was “brutal and violent” with their son. Jubillar describes the claims as “exaggerated”. His lawyers say there is no evidence he was violent with his wife.
A poster reads “Justice and truth for Delphine. I didn’t leave by myself. Someone made me disappear. Help reveal the truth so that justice will be done for me!”
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Psychologists who met Jubillar — a standard procedure in French criminal cases — found him to be “indifferent to her fate”, the court was also told.
The trial is expected to last four weeks.