In the trial for the murder of Delphine Jubillar, the defense lawyers delivered passionate closing arguments on Thursday to sow doubt and secure Cédric Jubillar's acquittal. They highlighted the lack of concrete evidence and flaws in the investigation, following the prosecution's request for 30 years in prison the previous day. The verdict is expected on Friday.
The trial of Cédric Jubillar, a 38-year-old painter-plasterer accused of murdering his wife Delphine who disappeared on December 15, 2020, in Cagnac-les-Mines, has reached its final stage at the Albi assizes court. With no body or identified crime scene, the prosecution relies on a bundle of indices, but the defense, led by Me Emmanuelle Franck and Me Alexandre Martin, dismantled these during anthology closing arguments on Thursday.
Me Franck denounced a 'judicial circus' fueled by the media and a biased investigation. She highlighted the absence of a weapon, traces, or witnesses, criticizing the gendarmes' methods: unhealthy proximity to witnesses, errors in the telephony data of Delphine's lover Donat-Jean Macquet, and potential suspects dismissed too quickly, like Anthony C. who confessed to a murder via message without custody. 'You don't even have the beginning of a crime scene!', she exclaimed, pointing to the mysterious unlocking of Delphine's phone at 6:52 AM on December 16, when Cédric was with the gendarmes.
Me Martin discussed the accused's difficult childhood, his resilience, and Delphine's love for him, rejecting any idea of control. 'Cédric was what he was, but Delphine loved him', he said. He condemned rumors and prison isolation, noting no insulting messages despite the couple's crisis in 2019-2020. Moved, he concluded: 'You cannot condemn Cédric Jubillar, your duty dictates to acquit him', citing Article 353 of the Penal Code on intimate conviction.
The decision, taken by a majority of seven out of nine votes (three magistrates, six jurors), will address guilt without definitive proof. The children Louis and Elyah await a verdict that could deprive them of their father.