THE remains of a nurse who was murdered six years ago have finally been found after her killer husband confessed to the crime.
Cedric Jubillar, 38, finally admitted to killing his wife Delphine, 33, and told cops that he had hidden her body on a farm in the French countryside.
Cedric Jubillar had previously denied any involvement in the death of his wife Credit: AFP
Delphine disappeared in December 2020 Credit: AFP
In a case that rocked France during the COVID pandemic, Cedric was charged and found guilty of murder – despite there being no corpse and no DNA evidence to link him to the crime.
The Frenchman was sentenced to 30 years behind bars but has always maintained his innocence – until now.
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Cedric revealed earlier this month that he had killed his wife and stashed the cadaver in a field near their home in Cagnac-les-Mines.
Investigators raced to the agricultural land in Mailhoc, southern France, last week and launched a new hunt for the missing corpse.
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After two days of searching, cops discovered human remains about 10km from the couple’s former home.
DNA analysis confirmed that the body – which had likely been scattered across the field during farming work – was that of murdered mum-of-two Delphine.
At the time of her death, the couple shared two young children, aged six and 18 months.
Their son Louis said his parents had a violent quarrel on the night of his mum’s disappearance, the court heard.
The couple shared two young children, six and 18 months
Cedric Jubillar told police where he had hidden the body of his murdered wife Credit: AFP
A neighbour also reported hearing a commotion at the home.
The court heard that Delphine wanted to divorce Cedric and start a new life with another man.
The pair allegedly had a turbulent marriage – with Cedric reportedly smoking cannabis every day and barely holding down a job.
Cedric had been due to appeal his 30-year prison sentence when he suddenly confessed to the murder.
His lawyer Pierre Debuisson said: “A few weeks ago he said to me, ‘I need to tell you the truth. It was me.’”
Jubillar told how he killed his wife “after yet another marital row”, and used his car to move the body, Debuisson said.
It is still unclear how he murdered the nurse on the night of December 15 and 16 in 2020.
Commentators believe this latest confession may be an attempt to get a lighter sentence by portraying the killing as a domestic dispute which accidentally spiralled out of control.
Malika Chmani, the lawyer representing the two children, said: “We are relieved for the children”, saying that the confession may help them find closure.
She added that Louis had always been certain his dad was guilty.
And Cedric’s lawyer Debuisson said that his client “clearly regrets” his actions, adding “it was the worst thing he did in his life”.
His legal team said they hoped the bombshell revelation will allow the couple’s two young children to “grieve and give Delphine a proper burial”.
The appeal trial will now likely take place in September after the killer has been re-interrogated and the search for the body completed.
In the original trial over Delphine’s murder, jurors were told that though there was “no body and no blood”, there was “no plausible alternative either”.
Prosecuting lawyer Pierre Aurignac said in October: “No matter how you look at this case, you come to the same conclusion – guilt.”
But the husband’s lawyer Emmanuelle Franck said: “We have created a criminal to explain a crime.
“This is a castle of sand. When you cannot prove, you imagine. When you cannot find, you invent.”
Their case previously rested on the fact that the body of Delphine had not been found – and so there was no evidence for the crime.
