During police interviews the US national confessed to stabbing his wife Laure Kruger, 52, whose body was found close to their holiday home near the Mediterranean coastal city of Narbonne, AFP quoted prosecutor Marie-Agnes Joly as saying. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday to face charges.
Regional police officials could not be reached for comment after hours on Saturday.
The victim taught French at the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia, according to her Linkedin page. Police were alerted after her father, who lives in the same French region, telephoned local officials when the couple failed to visit him before their planned return to Indonesia, the report said.