Karen Carter, 65, was stabbed to death near her home in the southwestern village of Tr̩molat on April 29 last year, and was found in a pool of her own blood Рbut her killer remains at large
The family of a British woman stabbed to death at her home in France say they “have a hunch” who murdered her.
Karen Carter, 65, was attacked near her home in the southwestern village of Trémolat in April last year, but her killer is still on the loose. Now 12 months on, her loved ones say they suspect a particular individual is responsible, but have decided to leave the investigation to progress. Their lawyer, Reda Hammouche, said: “[They are] leaving it to the justice system to work towards uncovering the truth.”
They spoke out after claims the mum-of-four, who lived alone, was the victim of a jealous feud related to her love life. At the time of her death, she was on the verge of divorcing her South Africa-based husband, Alan Carter, 66, while seeing Jean-François Guerrier, a 75-year-old retired business executive who lived close to her French property.
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Local woman Marie-Laure Autefort, 70, had reportedly “fallen madly in love” with Jean-François Guerrier a year before he became romantically involved with Karen, so some suspect she could be responsible. But her brother has branded the possibility “preposterous”. Guerrier and Autefort were arrested after the killing, but were released without charge. Both vehemently deny any wrongdoing.
Guerrier hosted a wine tasting party on April 19, 2025 and later followed Karen to her home in his car. On arriving, he found her lying in a pool of blood and she was declared dead at the scene. There is conflicting information about Guerrier’s movements that night. He initially said he became concerned his lover had not called him on reaching her house, which was just 10 minutes away from his. But leaked interview notes reveal he told police he had gone to spend the night at her house.
It was Guerrier who told detectives to investigate Autefort. The police record reads: “During his brief custody period, Jean-François Guerrier directed them to Marie-Laure Autefort, a resident of Trémolat who lives only about a 10-minute walk from the victim’s home, cutting across the fields.
“He described her as a woman who had fallen madly in love with him the previous year, to the point of divorcing the father of her children after several decades of marriage.She was then terribly frustrated when she realised that this budding passion was not reciprocated.”
Autfort is said to have provided a watertight alibi. She and Guerrier gave DNA samples, along with 15 other guests at the wine tasting party, but none provided a match. The possibility of a contract killing is also being actively investigated. No murder weapon has been found, meaning the killer could have got in and out of Trémolat very quickly.
Alan Carter, who shared four children with Karen, has conceded that locals have put him in the frame, suggesting he had organised the murder so as to take full control of the family’s sizeable estate. He said last year: “It’s been extremely upsetting to hear what’s being said, though more for our children and the rest of the family, than me.”
Prosecutor Jacques-Édouard Andrault, who is leading the enquiry into pre-meditated murder, said: “I can only confirm that the investigation is continuing actively.”
