French painter and decorator Cédric Jubillar is now on trial, accused of murdering his wife, Delphine Jubillar, the mother of their two children, who has been missing for nearly five years.
Cédric, 38, allegedly killed Delphine, 33, and concealed her body after reportedly discovering messages she had sent to another man, authorities say.
Delphine, a nurse, is said to have wanted a divorce, frustrated by her husband’s difficulty maintaining steady employment and completing renovations on the house they had purchased in the small town of Cagnac-les-Mines in southern France, according to the BBC.
After a prolonged investigation, Cédric was arrested in 2021 and charged with her murder.
Despite extensive searches involving drones, cadaver dogs, and divers, authorities have never recovered Delphine’s body or any other forensic evidence, The Times of London reports.
From the beginning, Cédric has maintained his innocence, insisting that his wife disappeared on the night of Dec. 15–16, 2020, leaving their young children—then 6 and 18 months old—behind, and claiming the case against him is purely circumstantial.
In the early hours of Dec. 16, 2020, he called police to report her missing. Between 3:54 a.m. and 9:52 a.m., he reportedly called her 185 times, The Times reports.
Prosecutors, however, argue that they have enough evidence to secure a conviction. They contend that Delphine would never have left home without her children and reject claims that she ran off with a sect or ISIS, according to The Times.
Authorities also said the Jubillars’ then-6-year-old son told police he witnessed his parents arguing on the night his mother vanished, The Times reports.
His trial began Monday in Albi, about an hour northeast of Toulouse. Spectators arrived early at the courthouse, hoping to secure a seat at the highly anticipated trial that has captivated the nation, The Times reports. The proceedings are expected to last four weeks.
