A 70-year-old woman has been formally charged with the murder of British expat Karen Carter, who was stabbed to death at her home in the Dordogne region of France last year.
Karen Carter, 65, was found by a friend lying by her car in a pool of blood, having suffered multiple stab wounds at her property in the village of Trémolat on April 29, 2025. She had lived in the village, a few miles east of Bergerac, for over a decade, managing two holiday homes.
Suspect charged after investigation
French investigating judge Jacques-Edouard Andrault said on Wednesday that the suspect was formally charged with premeditated murder on July 2, 2026. She is currently under judicial supervision due to her age.
Judge Andrault stated: "On July 2, 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. Since then, the investigations conducted as part of the judicial inquiry opened on May 7, 2025, have led the investigating judge to indict her."
Details of the attack
At the time of her death, French police said Mrs Carter had been stabbed eight times, with one blow penetrating the aorta. Her cause of death was listed as a massive haemorrhage.
Mrs Carter's husband, Alan, was in South Africa when she was killed and learned of her death through a cousin who read about it on a community Facebook page. He described his wife as an "extrovert" who loved people and was "just lovely".
Local newspaper Dordogne Libre previously reported that the suspect attended the same community café as Mrs Carter.
Mrs Carter spent her time living between South Africa and the UK. She and her husband owned their property, Les Chouettes, for around 15 years. The couple had four adult children—two sons and two daughters. Mrs Carter was a keen sportswoman and on the day of her death trained with a local football team made up of women aged 50 to 70.
