Frenchman convicted in missing body case confesses to killing his wife, lawyer says
A Frenchman convicted for the murder of his wife who disappeared more than half a decade ago but whose body was never found has confessed from his prison cell to killing her, his lawyer said on Monday.
Cédric Jubillar, 38, was in October sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering Delphine Jubillar, 33, following a trial that gripped France but in which he had always maintained his innocence.
Delphine went missing in rural southern France in December 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic. Her body was never found.
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But in a dramatic about-turn just over two months before his appeal was due to be heard, Jubillar has written a "confession" for the first time admitting his involvement, his lawyer Pierre Debuisson told a news conference.
Jubillar is ready to "cooperate fully with the judicial authorities" and tell investigators where the body is located, and reportedly said he had hidden his wife's remains on the night of December 15 to 16, 2020.
Debuisson expressed hope that Jubillar's move will allow their two young children to "grieve and give Delphine a proper burial", adding he client "clearly regrets" his actions.
"It was the worst thing he did in his life," the lawyer added. It remains unclear how Delphine Jubillar was killed.
His legal team now believe it is impossible that the appeal trial can take place as scheduled in September, as their client will need to be re-interrogated and searches for the body to take place.
Debuisson said Jubillar would give further details when interrogated.
In his confession letter, he mentions a dispute between the couple but does not give further details.
During the trial, Jubillar's mother testified that her son had threatened to kill his wife and hide her body where "no one will ever find her" just weeks before she disappeared. Two of his ex-girlfriends testified that he had told them that he had strangled her and buried her at a burned-out farm, respectively.
Jubillar had been convicted on the basis of a string of corroborating evidence, despite the lack of a body or any DNA evidence linking him to the crime. The trial heard Delphine asked for a divorce while having an affair with another man.
"We are relieved for the children," said Malika Chmani, lawyer for the two young children.
"Now it is important that he tells us where the body is. I believe that is what will happen – at any rate, that is what we hope for," she added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)