On Wednesday, October 8, Nadine F., while testifying before the Albi Criminal Court in southern France, experienced the same "transfiguration" as Donat-Jean M. – that moment when a character, be it a lover or a mother, becomes a person. Nadine F. had not missed a moment of her son Cédric Jubillar's trial for the murder of his wife, Delphine, in two weeks. But she did not sit just anywhere.

Unlike many mothers, who often sit in the front row of the public gallery as close as possible to the defendant's box, she sat on the other side of the courtroom among the plaintiffs, with Delphine's family, her friends and the legal representative for the couple's two children. Her grandchildren. Geographically, she had chosen her side, and it was not with the defense.

In this case, Nadine F. had been placed under arrest after Delphine's disappearance. Investigators suspected that she knew more about the accusations against her son than she was saying. They mainly hoped that Cédric Jubillar's close relationship with his mother would prompt him to confess. In vain.

Until this Wednesday, she had remained a character, sporting an electric blue pantsuit to match her light, blonde bob haircut, and restless energy. On the stand, she began by talking about how Cédric Jubillar was taken from her shortly after his birth.

You have 79.71% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.