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A pensioner has been charged with the murder of Karen Carter who was found stabbed to death after a wine tasting.
Karen Carter, 65, was stabbed repeatedly after she returned home in the idyllic Dordogne village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, in April last year.
The mum-of-four had tried to defend against the ‘frenzied attack,’ which left her with catastrophic wounds, including to her aorta, the autopsy found.
She had been living alone in a renovated farmhouse, while preparing to divorce her husband, Alan Carter, who was based 10,000 miles away, in South Africa.
A 70-year-old woman, originally taken into custody in 2025 before being released, has now been formally charged with her murder.
The public prosecutor of Périgueux, Jacques-Edouard Andrault, told Sud Ouest: ‘On July 2nd, the investigating judge in Périgueux formally charged a woman with murder.
‘This 70-year-old woman, originally from Trémolat, was taken into custody on April 30, 2025, during a preliminary investigation before being released.’
The prosecutor added: ‘Since then, the investigations conducted as part of the judicial inquiry opened on May 7, 2025 have led the investigating judge to indict her.’
Neighbours of Ms Carter in Trémolat have been arrested and then released without charge in the 10 months since she was found with multiple knife injuries.
Ms Carter’s French lover, retired business executive Jean-François Guerrier, 75, was originally arrested over the killing after police found Ms Carter’s body, but has since been released without charge.
Karen had promised to call Jean-Francois when she got home safe, but when the call never arrived, he drove to her house and discovered her lying in a pool of blood.
Her body had eight major wounds, in the chest, groin, an arm and a leg, when it was found on April 29.
Alan and Karen have four adult children together – two daughters and two sons – and they live in the UK, America, Australia and South Africa.
Paying tribute to her, one friend described Karen as ‘a strong businesswoman who had an air of authority about her’, while another said she ‘didn’t have any enemies.’
A Trémolat resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said last year: ‘Everyone is in total shock – she was a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody.’
