France - Karen Carter, 65, stabbed to death, Dordogne, 29 April 2025


Police, who have yet to find a murder weapon, were yesterday scouring woodland near to Ms Carter’s converted farmhouse and barn, which is located along a quiet road nicknamed ‘Boulevard des Anglais' due to the large number of Britons who have holiday homes there.


The article gives some more info about the man (a retired businessman) the victim was dating according to the prosecutor. The victim's anonymous close female friend doesn't believe it, claiming that everyone was that man's friend. She also said that nothing was stolen, so robbery isn't suspected. Another villager, also an ex-pat, disagrees on the relationship:

‘It’s a tragedy for her. A love story, it’s a crime of passion. Two women and a man, she had a new boyfriend, there it is.’
 
In My Opinion!!!

Villages and small towns have specific atmosphere.
Those who live/d in such places should know what I mean.

Everybody knows everybody.

Everyone gossips
and makes mountains out of molehills about others' lives :rolleyes:
Alleged "romances" are especially juicy to talk about among locals.

The key word is "alleged".

I'm shocked the husband was not officially notified by authorities.

And official talk about "relationship" makes me uneasy.
Personal issues of the victim should be kept away from Media.

But maybe these are "cultural differences" I'm not accustomed to? 🤔

JMO
 
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"Three unanswered questions
over ‘frenzied’ murder of Brit mum
in French village
as cops scour woodland for clues.

1746312914299.webp

Was the suspect known to her?

Prosecutors hinted that the suspect may have known the victim and was 'part of their circle' -
but no further details were revealed.

What was the motive?

The lead prosecutor on the case said
the investigation continues to focus on
'people who were likely have a grudge against the victim, or the couple she formed with her friend'.


Forensics officers returned to the crime scene on Friday morning for further examinations,
arriving in a police van and an unmarked SUV.

Where is the murder weapon?

So far the police have been unable to find the weapon used in shocking murder.

A team of around ten officers reportedly searched the woodland area around half a mile from the French cottage.

The team also cordoned off the road outside her home
and a helicopter was seen circling the village
as neighbours said
they reconstructed the murder scene."

 

The friend told The Mail on Sunday: 'I've known Karen for a while.

'She seemed to be someone fully in control of her life, a strong businesswoman who had an air of authority about her.

'I heard that she was trying to divorce her husband in South Africa but he wasn't keen on that.

'Karen had apparently been in a relationship with J-FG for a few weeks. It was really early days.

'By all accounts she was very happy in that new relationship but she kept it quiet and was quite modest about it.'


If the authorities are discussing her new relationship publicly, chances are that her boyfriend admitted to it.
 
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The friend told The Mail on Sunday: 'I've known Karen for a while.

'She seemed to be someone fully in control of her life, a strong businesswoman who had an air of authority about her.

'I heard that she was trying to divorce her husband in South Africa but he wasn't keen on that.

'Karen had apparently been in a relationship with J-FG for a few weeks. It was really early days.

'By all accounts she was very happy in that new relationship but she kept it quiet and was quite modest about it.'

Hmm. Interesting.
 

The friend told The Mail on Sunday: 'I've known Karen for a while.

'She seemed to be someone fully in control of her life, a strong businesswoman who had an air of authority about her.

'I heard that she was trying to divorce her husband in South Africa but he wasn't keen on that.

'Karen had apparently been in a relationship with J-FG for a few weeks. It was really early days.

'By all accounts she was very happy in that new relationship but she kept it quiet and was quite modest about it.'


If the authorities are discussing her new relationship publicly, chances are that her boyfriend admitted to it.

Quoting:

"Another close friend of Ms Carter said:
'She didn't have any enemies, as far as I'm aware'."

Well,
apparently, she did.

And this caught my attention:

"She seemed to be someone fully in control of her life,
a strong businesswoman
who had an air of authority about her."

It seems
somebody had gigantic problem/grudge against the victim
probably brewing for a long time IMO.

And not necessarily connected to any "relationship".

Of course,
it is only hypothesis.

JMO
 
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Paraphrasing

One villager said of Tremolat that
there is never any crime,
this is the first time in 45 years.

1746349901199.webp


The viciousness of the attack
in a village of only 600 people that has seen no serious crime in nearly 50 years
has left residents perplexed.

One neighbour mentioned the disturbing similarity between the events
and the plot of a 1970 psychological thriller entitled 'The Butcher'.
(filmed in Tremolat)

Directed by Claude Chabrol,
it tells the story of a young butcher who falls in love with the headteacher of the local school
while embarking on a serial-killing spree of young women in the village.

 
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It's interesting how several expats gave statements about the victim, while the locals emphasize how safe the villages is.

Another woman, who gave her name as Sylvie, guffawed with laughter when asked if Tremolat had a crime problem.

“Not to my knowledge, this is the first, I hope.”


Other locals:

“You could leave your bag in a field and three days later it will still be there.

“It’s so safe here, too safe, so we can’t imagine that kind of thing happening. People are just waiting for the end of this story, that’s it.”


 
I was curious if a neighbor could have heard or seen anything related to the attack. On Google Maps the houses don't seem too close together and there are a lot of hedges between them obscuring the view. The perpetrator must have known they could not be seen. It was also after dark. I wonder if they were there already when she arrived or they followed her from the village cafe (the wine tasting venue).
 
I was curious if a neighbor could have heard or seen anything related to the attack. On Google Maps the houses don't seem too close together and there are a lot of hedges between them obscuring the view. The perpetrator must have known they could not be seen. It was also after dark. I wonder if they were there already when she arrived or they followed her from the village cafe (the wine tasting venue).

The neighbour didn't hear anything.

Quote:
"Christopher - who did not give his surname - said:

'I heard no screams and no shouting'.

'The first I knew something had happened was when all the blue lights from the police flashed past some time before 10:30pm on Tuesday night'.

He told how he had been watching Arsenal take on PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night when he saw cops turn up."

Also:

"Upon returning
Karen was reportedly stabbed through the heart
as she retrieved her dog -
a white Griffon puppy - from her car.

Jean-Francois had only left her for
10 minutes
'before she was savagely killed',

according to Begerac prosecutor Sylvie Martin-Guedes."

IMO
It seems,
a murderer had already been lurking there.

 
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The neighbour didn't hear anything.

Quote:
"Christopher - who did not give his surname - said:

'I heard no screams and no shouting'.

'The first I knew something had happened was when all the blue lights from the police flashed past some time before 10:30pm on Tuesday night'.

He told how he had been watching Arsenal take on PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday night when he saw cops turn up."

Also:

"Upon returning
Karen was reportedly stabbed through the heart
as she retrieved her dog -
a white Griffon puppy - from her car.

Jean-Francois had only left her for
10 minutes
'before she was savagely killed',

according to Begerac prosecutor Sylvie Martin-Guedes."

IMO
a murderer was already lurking there.

The neighbor also seems to be confirming the affair:

“I’d seen her walking up the road last Friday afternoon around 5pm.

"She was walking towards her house with Jean-Francois.

“They weren’t holding hands but they looked like they were together as a couple.”
 
The neighbor also seems to be confirming the affair:

“I’d seen her walking up the road last Friday afternoon around 5pm.

"She was walking towards her house with Jean-Francois.

“They weren’t holding hands but they looked like they were together as a couple.”

Men seem even more gossipy than women :rolleyes: IMO

Too bad!

I hope her poor puppy has been taken care of!
 
I'm sure the investigators weren't relying on gossip when they revealed that she was in a new relationship.

I don't think this melodrama was the motive.

Let's be serious.

"A 70 year old woman stabbing her rival to death" :oops:
sounds ummm....
not very believable, to put it mildly.

Only serious MH issues could explain such action IMO

JMO !!!
 
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I hope, and expect, the authorities are looking into everyone's whereabouts and alibis in that village. If everybody knows everybody someone has to know if anyone was absent that night, or about any grudges or hostility towards the victim. I don't think at this time, it was an outsider who did this. Then again who knows, were any people hired for odd jobs, maintenance, etc from outside who knew Karen?
 
I suspect
it was connected to business, which was described as successful.
Always full of guests from the UK, as was reported.

- Maybe somebody resented this situation?

Village/small town communities can be quite insular,
sometimes displaying distrust towards strangers.

- Or the crime was triggered by some money issues?

- Or a grudge of a renter?
An issue with a renter?

- Or rivalry among businesses?

Who knows? 🤔

Well,
I guess Police will give the public answers some time in the future.

And, of course, my theories might turn out wrong.
No worries on my part.

JMO
 
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I hope, and expect, the authorities are looking into everyone's whereabouts and alibis in that village. If everybody knows everybody someone has to know if anyone was absent that night, or about any grudges or hostility towards the victim. I don't think at this time, it was an outsider who did this. Then again who knows, were any people hired for odd jobs, maintenance, etc from outside who knew Karen?
Speaking of maintenance, apparently her family first contacted the gardener / property manager:

After seeing the news on Facebook, a distressed cousin from South Africa rang a British expatriate, who had helped run Mrs Carter’s gîte for 13 years, to find out what had happened.

The gardener and property manager, who lives in a commune near Trémolat, shared how he then had to break the news of her death,

The gardener, who asked not to be named, explained that he himself was informed of Mrs Carter’s death by another member of the cafe while stopping by in Trémolat on Wednesday morning.


 
I don't think this melodrama was the motive.

Let's be serious.

"A 70 year old woman stabbing her rival to death" :oops:
sounds ummm....
not very believable, to put it mildly.

Only serious MH issues could explain such action IMO

JMO !!!
I think it's entirely possible that jealousy was the motive. So far, the perpetrator got away with it. I wonder how they picked the 69 year old woman for questioning.
 
I think it's entirely possible that jealousy was the motive. So far, the perpetrator got away with it. I wonder how they picked up the 69 year old woman for questioning.

Well,
this pensioner was also described as having "psychological weakness"
(whatever it means)
by a local, as was reported.
Maybe she was vocal about some things and drew attention to herself?

But, mind you,
she presented an alibi.
Some kind of "Work schedule" for... ummm... night work?
(Whatever it means also)

She was not charged with anything.
Neither the male friend.

Time will tell, I guess.

JMO
 
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It's interesting how several expats gave statements about the victim, while the locals emphasize how safe the villages is.

Another woman, who gave her name as Sylvie, guffawed with laughter when asked if Tremolat had a crime problem.

“Not to my knowledge, this is the first, I hope.”


Other locals:

“You could leave your bag in a field and three days later it will still be there.

“It’s so safe here, too safe, so we can’t imagine that kind of thing happening. People are just waiting for the end of this story, that’s it.”



This is very interesting.

I see it as "us versus them" approach/mentality.

Two communities - locals and foreign expats - keeping themselves to themselves.

It seems to me
as if the locals treat this tragedy as specifically expats' matter
because there had never been such crimes there
for over half a century before.

Also,
let's not forget that such rural small communities still tend to be quite patriarchal.

And here comes a successful woman,
with the air of authority about her (as reported)
running a lucrative business.

A female and a foreigner.

Somebody might have been really disgruntled.
And suddenly triggered to commit the murder.

Hmmm...

But, of course,
my imagination might be running overtime....

Again... :rolleyes:

JMO
 
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