CAGNAC-LES-MINES — Cedric Jubillar confessed to killing his wife, Delphine Jubillar, in a letter written from jail. Pierre Debuisson, a lawyer for Cedric Jubillar, announced the confession at a news conference on Monday.

Cedric Jubillar agreed to cooperate with judicial authorities to reveal the location of his wife's body. He stated that he hid the corpse on the night of December 15-16, 2020. Delphine Jubillar was 33 years old at the time of her disappearance in rural southern France in December 2020.

Cedric Jubillar was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October for the murder of Delphine Jubillar. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial, which took place in Albi. A jury comprising six civilians and three magistrates convicted him based on circumstantial evidence. No body was found, and no DNA evidence directly linked Cedric Jubillar to the crime. The defense argued that the absence of a body meant there was no certain evidence that a crime had occurred.

Pierre Debuisson stated that Cedric Jubillar regrets his actions, saying, "It was the worst thing he did in his life." Debuisson added that the appeal trial, scheduled for September, cannot proceed as scheduled because his client needs to be re-interrogated and searches for the body must take place.

Cedric Jubillar, who is 38 years old, mentioned a dispute between the couple in his confession letter, but it provided no further details. Prosecutors had alleged that Delphine Jubillar informed Cedric Jubillar about her affair on the evening of her disappearance, which led to a fight and her death, likely by strangulation. Delphine Jubillar had asked for a divorce and was having an affair with a man she met online.

Malika Chmani, a lawyer for the couple's two young children, expressed relief. "We are relieved for the children," Chmani said. "Now it is important that he tells us where the body is," Chmani said. "I believe that is what will happen -- at any rate, that is what we hope for," Chmani said.

A poster reading "Justice and truth for Delphine" was displayed in Cagnac-les-Mines, France, on December 7, 2022. French gendarmes organized a search in the woods of Milhars, France, on December 23, 2020.