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

[indicolite22]

For starts, we don’t know how accurate the friends are. We have two different versions. One, from the friend, states that KC was unhappy and wanted a divorce but the husband was slow to provide one. According to the husband’s version, KC was telling him that J-P was only a friend and now he (the husband) feels betrayed.

How to combine the two versions? First, people might hear what they want to hear, and two, maybe, indeed, the relationship was in a nascent area and not linked to KC’s unhappiness at all.

Either way, AC and KC had 30 years together, mutual kids and KC surviving cancer. Too many years to break easily, IMO.

Plus, AC said that he bought the property in the village seeing how alive KC was there. They owned it for 15 years; I assume at that time, AC was working at London Stock exchange and was a more common fixture in the village. His cousin lived there, too.

I feel that it will end up being a murder of passion, only who was the ultimate goal?

J-P was released soon. IMO, he is, indeed, uninvolved.

That woman who proclaimed her love for J-P, MA, appears slightly naive to start with? She is probably scared and ashamed, but from the articles, she doesn’t look like the killer. JMO. She was loud, and the person is stealthy. MOO.

Could it be someone younger, some farmhand in whom KC unknowingly evoked strong feelings? Or a former guest in her Airbnb? Possible. I assume that the percentage of odd people is the same everywhere. A guest is the worst person to trace, but it is not impossible.

But, a woman who viewed AC as a decent goal and would be not unwilling to move to SA with him is not impossible, either. Someone who got tired of living in a village, who viewed AC as a decent, loyal, successful man. Who might have recently traveled to SA with the soccer group and saw that there was no one on his side there? Who thought that a grieving widower, crushed by the revelation of betrayal, could be an easy target? Who could have been close to his cousin to know the details of his life?

I see three potential options here, not two.

But how would a woman who lives in France get close to Karen's husband, who only visits for holidays and likely doesn't mingle as much as his wife did? Now he will probably spend even less time there.

 

[indicolite22]

Brit expat murdered in France was 'buying a house and leaving husband'

Mother-of-four Karen Carter was stabbed to death last Tuesday outside a guesthouse she ran in the village with husband Alan, who had been at home in South Africa

www.dailymail.co.uk

British woman murdered outside her holiday home in France was buying a small property to live by herself after serving divorce papers on her husband, MailOnline can reveal.

Karen Carter, 65, had viewed and agreed a sale on a charming one-bedroom cottage she planned on retiring to in the tranquil village of Trémolat.

And she had just bought a cross-breed puppy with a wealthy businessman she had recently begun an affair with, her best friend has revealed.

Karen's best friend also claims that she (the friend) didn't know about Karen's affair with J-F. IF the friend didn't know, few people likely did. According to her, J-F was very friendly with multiple women, but not with the one who had a public crush on him and who was detained for two days.

 

[vls12345]

Husband is not telling the truth then if he said they were not getting divorced, and were only going through a bad patch

Unless he planned to never agree to a divorce. Then he could still technically say they were not divorcing. Imo.

 

[ZaZara]

Unless he planned to never agree to a divorce. Then he could still technically say they were not divorcing. Imo.

Under French law, it is the judge who decides about the divorce. If one partner does not agree, the procedure may take longer, but the outcome will be a divorce.

If one partner moves out of the conjugal residence, and goes to live elsewhere for at least a year, the divorce will be based on altération définitive du lien conjugal. - permanent alteration of the marriage bond.

KC buying her own home may support this course of action in case a divorce with mutual agreement cannot be reached.

 

[Dotta]

I wonder about the cost of this "charming one bedroom cottage" the victim allegedly wanted to buy.

Or did she decide to rent it?

She obviously couldn't sell her house rental as it must have been owned jointly by her and her husband.
A guess on my part.

JMO

 

[ch_13]

Or, my final option...was it JF?
Did he turn up hoping to spend the night with Karen and she rejected him and he flew into a rage?
Maybe Karen did just view her relationship with him as just friends even though he wanted something more?
Only trouble with this is the murder weapon, why would he have it with him and how was it disposed of ?

RSBM.

I think just from the mechanics of the situation, it's hard to see how JF could be the killer.

Considering the violence of the attack, the murderer would likely have gotten a significant amount of blood all over themselves. I don't see how JF could kill Karen, then dispose of the weapon, change clothes, and clean himself off all in the limited period of time before the police were called.

 

[ZaZara]

RSBM.

I think just from the mechanics of the situation, it's hard to see how JF could be the killer.

Considering the violence of the attack, the murderer would likely have gotten a significant amount of blood all over themselves. I don't see how JF could kill Karen, then dispose of the weapon, change clothes, and clean himself off all in the limited period of time before the police were called.

According to reports in the press, J-F G. administered first aid to Karen. He would not have been clean when the police arrived.
No wonder they detained him ~ before releasing him later without charge.

 

[Dotta]

There are no more POIs.
Is the investigation stalling?

 

[Sarahlou]

There are no more POIs.
Is the investigation stalling?

We have no idea who is a POI or not to be fair. I'm sure there's lots of leads they are working on.

 

[Dotta]

We have no idea who is a POI or not to be fair. I'm sure there's lots of leads they are working on.

Hmmm....

Considering all gossip swirling around
it might mean enormous amount of leads,
mainly of "romantic", cough, cough, nature.

One of he best advice is always to
"follow the money" IMO.

JMO

 

[bmacmillan1]

Hmmm....

Considering all gossip swirling around
it might mean enormous amount of leads,
mainly of "romantic", cough, cough, nature.

One of he best advice is always to
"follow the money" IMO.

JMO

Hmmm...

 

[TootsieFootsie]

It's not always about money.
This seems to me to be what used to be called a crime of passion, something personal.

And no I don't have a person of interest in mind.

 

[Dotta]

It's not always about money.
This seems to me to be what used to be called a crime of passion, something personal.

And no I don't have a person of interest in mind.

Oh,
but money is "passion and VERY personal" to many people.

Poor Dawn Kerr was murdered in idyllic French countryside exactly because of money problems of her husband.

JMO, as always

 

[Dotta]

" 'Discreet and smiling'.

These are the words of all those who knew her.

This morning, in the hamlet of Des Nardoux,
the stone walls and spring flowers now mingle with the barrier tape.

Here,
many British nationals have set down their suitcases, like Karen.

'I arrived in Trémolat eight years ago.
My wife worked with Karen in her gîtes',
says one resident.
'We took French lessons together every week.
It's terrible'.

A few meters from the victim's home,
a neighbor testified, with throat tight with emotion.

'She was a very kind, gentle neighbor.
She regularly went to see a very elderly neighbor and brought her flowers.
She was a very generous and caring person.
I'm in shock'.

That Tuesday evening,
the neighbour actually ran into the victim,
just a few hours before the tragedy.

'She was walking her young dog
and I was driving by.

Around 9 p.m.,
I closed my shutters,
everything was quiet,
there was no one there.

Around 11 p.m.,
I saw the flashing lights,
but at that moment,
I thought she was in trouble'."

Meurtre d'une Britannique de 65 ans : "Un vide dans nos cœurs", la douleur après la disparition de Karen Carter, reine du foot

Depuis ce mercredi 30 avril, le village de Trémolat est en deuil. La veille, l'une des figures du village, Karen Carter a été poignardée de plusieurs coups de couteaux alors qu'elle rentrait à son domicile. L'auteur toujours...

france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr

 

[Lonicera]

Let us be patient: I am French and I know that the French justice system is very procedural and slow . The investigation is ongoing. Especially since in a rural department like the Dordogne there is almost never a remote monitoring system. That’s why I have dogs including a malinois.
And of course because I like the company of dogs.
A single woman is particularly vulnerable.
Also know that it is forbidden in France to install cameras that can film the public road.
I wanted to do it but the police told me not to.So I’ve always had watchdogs for the 20 years that I’ve lived in the middle of the country.

 

[indicolite22]

There's a map of some key locations in this article:

Karen Carter’s killing stirs fear and gossip in the Dordogne

Betrayal and buried secrets are emerging in the sleepy French village of Trémolat after the death, which police have linked to ‘a grudge’

www.thetimes.com

It looks like it's about 4-5km from J-F's to Karen's home.

 

[ZaZara]

There's a map of some key locations in this article:

Karen Carter’s killing stirs fear and gossip in the Dordogne

Betrayal and buried secrets are emerging in the sleepy French village of Trémolat after the death, which police have linked to ‘a grudge’

www.thetimes.com

It looks like it's about 4-5km from J-F's to Karen's home.

from the above article:


Reports that she had been seeking a divorce or buying her own property that have filled a gap in official updates were hurtful and hyped, a close family friend said. The couple had been looking for a small cottage to buy in Trémolat to use when their holiday lets were booked. They were attempting to settle on how best to divide their time between two countries, the friend said.

BBM

Follow the money indeed...

 

[ZaZara]

And this one, from the same article:


Guerrier found Karen’s body after she had driven home from a wine-tasting he had hosted.He told police he had gone to her barn after she had failed to phone to confirm her safe arrival. Autefort, a retired carer, was arrested and held for 48 hours, but ruled out of suspicion after accounting for her movements at the time of the attack, at about 9.30pm on Tuesday, April 29.


BBM

So KC did not leave around 10 o'clock, but probably already shortly after 09.15 pm.

 

[Dotta]

And this one, from the same article:


Guerrier found Karen’s body after she had driven home from a wine-tasting he had hosted.He told police he had gone to her barn after she had failed to phone to confirm her safe arrival. Autefort, a retired carer, was arrested and held for 48 hours, but ruled out of suspicion after accounting for her movements at the time of the attack, at about 9.30pm on Tuesday, April 29.


BBM

So KC did not leave around 10 o'clock, but probably already shortly after 09.15 pm.

Thanks for providing info.
The article in The Times is behind a paywall for me.

 

[indicolite22]

He confirmed gossip and evidence that pointed to Mrs Carter having an affair. Weeks before her murder, Pultier had seen her being followed into the holiday home late at night by a man who walked some distance behind. The only other man Pultier had ever seen Mrs Carter entertain alone was her husband.

“She was a proud woman, so if she was having an affair she was discreet about it. But there were many rumours in the village. Many people knew,” he said.

Wife’s affair a betrayal, says husband of Dordogne murder victim

Alan Carter said that the investigation into the stabbing of his wife Karen ‘confirmed a relationship I did not want to believe’ and which she had denied

www.thetimes.com

This article is also quoting the husband stating how, upon his last visit in 2024, he felt excluded from her circle of friends that she built with people around the village cafe.