An extraordinary deal, an extraordinary device. The assize trial of Cédric Jubillar, accused of having made his wife Delphine disappear on the night of December 15 to 16, 2020, should open in less than a year, before the Tarn assize court, in Albi .
“We would move towards a hearing which would begin towards the end of September for four to five weeks”, explained this Tuesday Alexandre Martin, one of the three lawyers of the suspect, after a meeting with magistrates in charge of the organization of this hearing, at the Toulouse Court of Appeal.
Philippe Pressecq, lawyer for one of the cousins of the missing nurse, is more precise. He mentions a “slot from September 22 to October 10” for this murder trial in one of the most resounding and mysterious cases of recent years.
Many witnesses and experts
Alexandre Martin anticipates “an extraordinary trial where everything is contested”. “Many witnesses will be called, experts too, (…) as everything is discussed, it is a very detailed analysis that will have to be made of this file”, he underlines. At the assizes, “it is an oral procedure, the jurors do not have the file, they will therefore read it at the hearing, listening to all the speakers, so it is clear that there will be a lot hearings to be organized so that the jurors can integrate all the elements (…) to ultimately render a decision,” he adds.
Our file on the Jubillar affair
Delphine Jubillar, mother of two children, disappeared from her family home in Cagnac-les-Mines (Tarn) in the middle of a curfew linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, and despite extensive research, no trace of her has been found. Cédric Jubillar, a 37-year-old plaster painter, was indicted for murder and placed in detention six months after the disappearance. He has since claimed his innocence and his lawyers denounced an incriminating investigation.
When Delphine Jubillar disappeared, she planned to divorce to start a new life with another man. The investigation established that her husband was aware of this affair and that he had difficulty coping with the possibility of a separation.