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

[Sor Juana]

I do think early reports stated the event had been at the Cafe Village, but I think the wine tasting was not at the Cafe Village, it was held at JFG’s home, which is located “high in the hills above Trémolat last Tuesday evening, which had been attended by Mrs Carter.”

"Carter had reportedly been at a wine tasting party at Cafe Village Trémolat, described on Facebook as “an association that wants to offer the people of Trémolat and the surrounding area a meeting place”, with about 15 other guests, including Eric Chassagne, the village’s mayor." (The Guardian) But anyhow, it was a very tight area: JFG was 3km up the road from the Cafe, and Karen was less than 2km down the road.

 

[indicolite22]

Why, oh why didn't Karen and JFG drive together, in 2 cars, but one after the other?? Or would then two people have been dead at the end?

Perhaps they didn't want other guest to see them leaving together.

 

[slowpoke]

"Carter had reportedly been at a wine tasting party at Cafe Village Trémolat, described on Facebook as “an association that wants to offer the people of Trémolat and the surrounding area a meeting place”, with about 15 other guests, including Eric Chassagne, the village’s mayor." (The Guardian) But anyhow, it was a very tight area: JFG was 3km up the road from the Cafe, and Karen was less than 2km down the road.

Yes, I realize there are conflicting reports regarding the location of the wine-tasting event. Here’s a couple of links stating it was at JFG’s home:

From Sud Ouest (translation from the original French)
“It was on the way back from a wine tasting, with friends, on Tuesday, April 29 at around 10 p.m., that Karen Carter was savagely attacked in front of her house. Arriving shortly after on the scene, her new companion, who had organized the evening at his house, found her, lying in her blood, at the foot of her car.”

From The Times (a British newspaper)
“[JFG], 74, found Carter dying from multiple stab wounds in her driveway at 10pm on April 29, after she had left his farmhouse on the edge of Trémolat where he had hosted a wine-tasting event. He had followed her at a discreet distance to spend the night at her converted barn.”

 

[FromGermany1]

Perhaps they didn't want other guest to see them leaving together.

Shouldn't the two of them be seen in the same vehicle on the way there for some reason?
Did Karen think, that there was a danger (in the form of a "spy" for example) lurking on the way?

ETA: When my children are visiting me, sometime leaving my home again and drive back to their location 150km or even 700km away, then I always ask for a call, when they have gotten home unharmed. I wouldn't ask, when the return trip is only 1 km away in the same town, like where my third child is living.
I wonder about the call, Karen and JFG had agreed on. It must have had a certain reason, MOO.

 

[slowpoke]

Shouldn't the two of them be seen in the same vehicle on the way there for some reason?
Did Karen think, that there was a danger (in the form of a "spy" for example) lurking on the way?

ETA: When my children are visiting me, sometime leaving my home again and drive back to their location 150km or even 700km away, then I always ask for a call, when they have gotten home unharmed. I wouldn't ask, when the return trip is only 1 km away in the same town, like where my third child is living.
I wonder about the call, Karen and JFG had agreed on. It must have had a certain reason, MOO.

I keep wondering about the call, too. Was it really an agreed upon call, or was it a fib by JFG to cover that JFG and KC had already intended that JFG would be spending the night?

Or, if it really was supposed to be a call to say she was safely home, was this a usual pattern as they just liked to talk in those instances, or was there something happening that was giving concern? Because reports always pointed out how villagers said how safe their village was.

I was revisiting older articles to refresh my memory on this case, and came to the article that quoted a “French woman living nearby”: (LINK)

“'Police with dogs and forensic investigators were all over the field examining the tracks and where they think a car was parked next to the wood,' says a French woman living nearby. 'The tracks have disappeared now because the grass was cut a few days ago but they were quite clear.”

It said this was around a half mile from Karen’s, a 6 minute walk. I had a funny-not-funny thought that maybe this was where JFG would park when he’d come to spend the night at Karen’s, as part of his being ‘discreet’. Because if you spend the night but park right in her driveway, how is that being discreet??

jmo

 

[Kemug]

Or, if it really was supposed to be a call to say she was safely home, was this a usual pattern as they just liked to talk in those instances, or was there something happening that was giving concern? Because reports always pointed out how villagers said how safe their village was.

Not any more, they don't. And I should think that B&B's aren't doing so much trade these days.

 

[Sor Juana]

Yes, I realize there are conflicting reports regarding the location of the wine-tasting event. Here’s a couple of links stating it was at JFG’s home:

From Sud Ouest (translation from the original French)
“It was on the way back from a wine tasting, with friends, on Tuesday, April 29 at around 10 p.m., that Karen Carter was savagely attacked in front of her house. Arriving shortly after on the scene, her new companion, who had organized the evening at his house, found her, lying in her blood, at the foot of her car.”

From The Times (a British newspaper)
“[JFG], 74, found Carter dying from multiple stab wounds in her driveway at 10pm on April 29, after she had left his farmhouse on the edge of Trémolat where he had hosted a wine-tasting event. He had followed her at a discreet distance to spend the night at her converted barn.”

I suspect the discrepancy in the reporting comes from conflating two separate events. The local newspaper (Sud Quest) likely referred to the official wine tasting at the Café Village, and references to JFG’s farmhouse point to a private evening for friends. It’s a logical distinction: a standard wine tasting usually only provides light snacks like cheese and breads (to cleanse the palate and provide a balance of fat, salt, and acid) whereas JFG may have hosted a full dinner for his guests at home afterward. JMO

 

[Sor Juana]

In mid-July, the police called in divers to fish out a mysterious bag below the Trémolat bridge.

RSBM. Thanks for that reference - it's interesting how those mentions of the bag have been scrubbed now that the info is sealed. Based on the French press from last year (late April - early May), the police were definitely looking at a 'staged robbery' angle early on. If a bag was found by the bridge, it probably wasn't Karen's (since hers was in the car), but those recovered items were important enough for dna testing. It raises a huge question: if someone was calm enough to plan a 'staged' robbery, why was the actual attack so frenzied? Those two behaviours don't usually belong to the same person. JMO

 

[Sor Juana]

This short video doesn’t include any new details, but it does show nice footage of Karen’s homestead and the surrounding area.

 

[ZaZara]

Detectives convinced 'sexual jealousy' key to British mother's murder

Murder in the Dordogne: Why, one year on, detectives are more convinced than ever that 'sexual jealousy' holds key to solving British mother-of-four's killing in French countryside.

(...) French police have begun recalling key witnesses. Those reinterviewed include Guerrier, who was the first to be arrested after he found Karen dying on her driveway minutes after the attack on April 29 last year.

One of her closest village friends has also been summoned, as have members of the over-50s women's football team for whom she played.

Some of the questions put to them suggest that gendarmes are again focusing on the romantic intrigues she was caught up in. One of their strongest theories is that the motive for her horrific killing was sexual jealousy.

(...) Over the past 12 months, this newspaper has stayed close to those at the heart of this crime and returned to Tremolat at key moments during the investigation. Intriguingly, some accounts and recollections do not always match up, something police have found hugely frustrating.

But what is clear is that detectives remain convinced the answer to this murder-mystery lies among the myriad secrets Karen was keeping before her death.

She had told friends she was walking away from her 33-year marriage and, having embarked on a discreet relationship with Guerrier, had decided to make the Dordogne her permanent home.

But at the time of her death Alan, a marine biologist, was unaware of his wife's relationship with Guerrier and after her death spoke of 'a feeling of complete betrayal' at discovering her infidelity.


(...) The extent of Karen's double life was laid bare just a month before her death when she travelled to Tzaneen in South Africa with teammates from Les Reines du Foot, an over-50s football team.

Guerrier accompanied her on the tour at the last minute. When it finished he returned to France with the rest of the team while Karen flew to visit Alan at their home in the coastal town of East London.

(Alan Carter) was adamant divorce 'wasn't definite' and says that Karen had confided in her sister when she visited South Africa that she 'didn't really want to do that'.


BBM

Much more at link, the report offers a comprehensive overview of the case.

 

[Dotta]

Detectives convinced 'sexual jealousy' key to British mother's murder

Murder in the Dordogne: Why, one year on, detectives are more convinced than ever that 'sexual jealousy' holds key to solving British mother-of-four's killing in French countryside.

(...) French police have begun recalling key witnesses. Those reinterviewed include Guerrier, who was the first to be arrested after he found Karen dying on her driveway minutes after the attack on April 29 last year.

One of her closest village friends has also been summoned, as have members of the over-50s women's football team for whom she played.

Some of the questions put to them suggest that gendarmes are again focusing on the romantic intrigues she was caught up in. One of their strongest theories is that the motive for her horrific killing was sexual jealousy.

(...) Over the past 12 months, this newspaper has stayed close to those at the heart of this crime and returned to Tremolat at key moments during the investigation. Intriguingly, some accounts and recollections do not always match up, something police have found hugely frustrating.

But what is clear is that detectives remain convinced the answer to this murder-mystery lies among the myriad secrets Karen was keeping before her death.

She had told friends she was walking away from her 33-year marriage and, having embarked on a discreet relationship with Guerrier, had decided to make the Dordogne her permanent home.

But at the time of her death Alan, a marine biologist, was unaware of his wife's relationship with Guerrier and after her death spoke of 'a feeling of complete betrayal' at discovering her infidelity.


(...) The extent of Karen's double life was laid bare just a month before her death when she travelled to Tzaneen in South Africa with teammates from Les Reines du Foot, an over-50s football team.

Guerrier accompanied her on the tour at the last minute. When it finished he returned to France with the rest of the team while Karen flew to visit Alan at their home in the coastal town of East London.

(Alan Carter) was adamant divorce 'wasn't definite' and says that Karen had confided in her sister when she visited South Africa that she 'didn't really want to do that'.


BBM

Much more at link, the report offers a comprehensive overview of the case.

Quote from above:

"But what is clear
is that detectives remain convinced the answer to this murder-mystery
lies among
the myriad secrets Karen was keeping before her death."

IMO

 

[indicolite22]

Quite a few other new and interesting tidbits in the above article. The author is quoting Karen's husband commenting on the village rumors last summer (BBM):

He said they stemmed from false claims that he had refused to sign divorce papers served on him by Karen. He was adamant divorce 'wasn't definite' and says that Karen had confided in her sister when she visited South Africa that she 'didn't really want to do that'.

This is contradicted by Karen's unnamed friend who is quoting her (BBM):

One of her friends, a British man who lives in the village, told me last week: 'The big problem was she wanted to live in France and he wanted to stay in South Africa. She was always talking it through with us, saying: "Something's got to give. I have to get out of this marriage".'

In earlier reports, a female friend in Tremolat also quoted Karen as saying that she was done with the marriage.

Which was it, that she repeatedly insisted on getting out or that she was reluctant just a month before her death? Remember, she made other moves towards independence in addition to serving the husband with divorce papers: reportedly meeting with attorneys in SA regarding a division of property, getting her own bank account in France (with the help of her lover), and picking out a small cottage to buy for herself in Tremolat. The husband is denying the last one as well, saying how it was for both of them.

It makes sense to me that she wanted to get free, also so she could be public about her life with her new partner. Reportedly not everyone invited to the wine tasting knew they were a couple.

 

[indicolite22]

The article also hints at a botched investigation, quoting a source close to the investigation, blaming the prosecutor for failing to order phone and physical surveillance of locals who might have a grudge against Karen and relying only on interviews.

 

[Dotta]

DNA found in the car was not of any local.

 

[Charlot123]

Quite a few other new and interesting tidbits in the above article. The author is quoting Karen's husband commenting on the village rumors last summer (BBM):

He said they stemmed from false claims that he had refused to sign divorce papers served on him by Karen. He was adamant divorce 'wasn't definite' and says that Karen had confided in her sister when she visited South Africa that she 'didn't really want to do that'.

This is contradicted by Karen's unnamed friend who is quoting her (BBM):

One of her friends, a British man who lives in the village, told me last week: 'The big problem was she wanted to live in France and he wanted to stay in South Africa. She was always talking it through with us, saying: "Something's got to give. I have to get out of this marriage".'

In earlier reports, a female friend in Tremolat also quoted Karen as saying that she was done with the marriage.

Which was it, that she repeatedly insisted on getting out or that she was reluctant just a month before her death? Remember, she made other moves towards independence in addition to serving the husband with divorce papers: reportedly meeting with attorneys in SA regarding a division of property, getting her own bank account in France (with the help of her lover), and picking out a small cottage to buy for herself in Tremolat. The husband is denying the last one as well, saying how it was for both of them.

It makes sense to me that she wanted to get free, also so she could be public about her life with her new partner. Reportedly not everyone invited to the wine tasting knew they were a couple.

Is it possible that Karen was providing two different versions of her plans in France and in South Africa? In SA, she is accompanied by Guerrier but tries not to get on the same film with him, etc. And then she visits her husband’s house and tells his sister that she doesn’t want a divorce. (This conversation will reach her family and highly likely, some other people).

And in France, the situation is presented like it is Alan who doesn’t want to move to France. (But then it seems he is not welcomed in France, either, because when he visited Tremollat in 2024, the locals, he felt, excluded him.) That was before obvious affair with G started, although we don’t know when it really started. And then recently, her friend in France hears that she is “done” with the marriage.

What could one conclude from her two versions of the situation?

Just to explain: I am not judging anyone, they are adult people in an older group, they have full right to make decisions about their lives. To me, it would seem that perhaps Karen, indeed, got “done” with South Africa when the kids grew up. Empty nest syndrome in the country you do not want to live in is not attractive. But for different practical reasons, divorce appeared difficult. So Karen is charming, refined and beautiful, people no doubt approach her, but she is not ready to jump into a new relationship. The message is “no”, but for some, the other message is heard, that she and Alen are not really a couple. This is in France.

In South Africa: she is not yet ready to part until financially she is more independent? Only is it Allen she is afraid of when she avoids getting on camera with G?

I personally never felt that KC was afraid of AC.

Question is, could Karen be afraid of someone else? Someone who perhaps made his interest clear but whom she didn’t find attractive or worth getting divorced for? Someone who got very angry on seeing her ultimate choice?

If so, where was the person? In SA or in France?

Logically, hearing that she opened a new account with the help of G would mobilize the person in France fast.

But it seems that she tried to avoid being seen with G in South Africa?

 

[FromGermany1]

Quote from above:

"But what is clear
is that detectives remain convinced the answer to this murder-mystery
lies among
the myriad secrets Karen was keeping before her death."

IMO

bbm
So many? Wow.

 

[indicolite22]

Is it possible that Karen was providing two different versions of her plans in France and in South Africa? In SA, she is accompanied by Guerrier but tries not to get on the same film with him, etc. And then she visits her husband’s house and tells his sister that she doesn’t want a divorce. (This conversation will reach her family and highly likely, some other people).

SBM. The female football team was followed by cameras (for a documentary) both in France and in SA. Karen likely didn't want her family (including her husband) and friends to see her with JFG before her divorce.

If she didn't want to divorce, why did she serve Alan the papers? I didn't have the impression that JFG or anyone pressured her.

And in France, the situation is presented like it is Alan who doesn’t want to move to France. (But then it seems he is not welcomed in France, either, because when he visited Tremollat in 2024, the locals, he felt, excluded him.) That was before obvious affair with G started, although we don’t know when it really started. And then recently, her friend in France hears that she is “done” with the marriage.

Alan's work was tied to SA. He would not have moved to France without retiring. Him feeling unwelcome could also be connected to the language barrier. To the locals he was a tourist.

The male friend makes it sound like she repeated on multiple occasions that she had to get out. I wonder if the main reason was drifting apart from her husband or something more specific. Was a long distance relationship ever going to work in the long term?

Question is, could Karen be afraid of someone else? Someone who perhaps made his interest clear but whom she didn’t find attractive or worth getting divorced for? Someone who got very angry on seeing her ultimate choice?

If so, where was the person? In SA or in France?

I doubt she was scared of someone else in SA. She would be afraid if she received threats by a jealous person in France. Perhaps she feared that Alan would make her divorcing him difficult. It appears that he was (at best) in a denial about the status of their relationship.

 

[Dotta]

It's interesting that Police start questioning the locals again.

And even more interesting is a quote from DM link:
"Intriguingly,
some accounts and recollections do not always match up,
something police have found hugely frustrating."

And as experienced detectives say
- the perp is almost always in the first case file.

JMO

Link once again

Detectives convinced 'sexual jealousy' key to British mother's murder

Close to a year on from her brutal murder, Karen Carter's abandoned Dordogne home is a heart-rending sight.

www.dailymail.com

 

[Charlot123]

SBM. The female football team was followed by cameras (for a documentary) both in France and in SA. Karen likely didn't want her family (including her husband) and friends to see her with JFG before her divorce.

If she didn't want to divorce, why did she serve Alan the papers? I didn't have the impression that JFG or anyone pressured her.

Do we know if she really served him papers? It is what she said in France. To her friend. (That’s the thing. I see two different versions of the same story coming from SA and France and wonder if there are more).

Alan's work was tied to SA. He would not have moved to France without retiring. Him feeling unwelcome could also be connected to the language barrier. To the locals he was a tourist.

The male friend makes it sound like she repeated on multiple occasions that she had to get out. I wonder if the main reason was drifting apart from her husband or something more specific. Was a long distance relationship ever going to work in the long term?

I would be the first one to say that long distance relationships usually don’t work. Here, it seems, Alan thought that it would work. Perhaps naively.

I doubt she was scared of someone else in SA. She would be afraid if she received threats by a jealous person in France. Perhaps she feared that Alan would make her divorcing him difficult. It appears that he was (at best) in a denial about the status of their relationship.

Logically thinking, Karen spent way more time in France, so she probably felt herself vulnerable in France.

Could the person be very offended because he felt that he was “deserving” in all ways, but “rejected for economic reasons”?

 

[indicolite22]

Do we know if she really served him papers? It is what she said in France. To her friend. (That’s the thing. I see two different versions of the same story coming from SA and France and wonder if there are more).

SBM. We don't know for sure, but I don't see why she would lie to her best friend about it. I also don't see the friend making it up. If it wasn't true, the police would find out and the friend could be put under suspicion.

Could the person be very offended because he felt that he was “deserving” in all ways, but “rejected for economic reasons”?

I doubt she had multiple suitors at her age, especially if most thought she was still happily married. Perhaps it is more likely that JFG, as a well off bachelor, had several older women interested in him.