In a case that has captivated France for years, 38-year-old painter-decorator Cédric Jubillar has been found guilty of murdering his wife, Delphine Jubillar, despite the absence of her body. The trial, which lasted four weeks in the southern town of Albi, concluded with Jubillar being sentenced to 30 years in prison. The jury, comprising six civilians and three magistrates, determined that circumstantial evidence was sufficient to convict him, even though Delphine’s remains were never found. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence, and Jubillar’s defense team has announced plans to appeal the verdict. Delphine, 33, vanished on the night of December 15-16, 2020, during the Covid pandemic, from the couple’s home in Cagnac-les-Mines, where they lived with their two young children. Jubillar reported her missing at 04:00 on December 16, claiming he had been awakened by their younger child’s cries. Extensive searches, including in nearby abandoned mines, yielded no trace of her. The trial revealed that the couple’s relationship had deteriorated, with Delphine seeking a divorce and beginning an affair with a man she met on a chatline. Prosecutors argued that Jubillar killed her in a fit of rage after she disclosed the affair, likely by strangulation, and disposed of her body in the surrounding countryside. Key evidence included Delphine’s car parked unusually, broken glasses in the sitting room, and Jubillar’s lack of movement recorded on his phone pedometer. Psychological assessments portrayed Jubillar as a troubled individual with a history of substance abuse and difficulty maintaining employment. His defense argued that the evidence was speculative and that no physical traces of a crime were found. However, the jury’s ‘intimate conviction’ of his guilt led to the verdict. The case has sparked widespread media attention and online speculation, with amateur detectives offering theories about Delphine’s disappearance. Jubillar’s lawyers maintain his innocence and plan to challenge the decision in a higher court.