Karen Carter, who was found brutally stabbed outside her home in a French village, was ‘attempting to defend herself from a frenzied attack’, an autopsy said – a woman part of the victim’s ‘circle’ has been arrested
A British woman who was brutally stabbed to death outside her home in France this week was trying to “defend herself from a frenzied attack” after a wine-tasting party.
Karen Carter, 65, was horrifically found unconscious and “covered in stab wounds” in the rural village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday evening. A 69-year-old woman, who police confirmed was “part of the circle” of the victim, was arrested after the horror attack. An autopsy revealed Karen suffered from eight serious wounds – including to her chest, forearm and abdomen – and died “by haemorrhage following a wound to the aorta”.
The report added: “All the wounds suggest the victim was attempting to defend herself from a frenzied attack.” Officials did not reveal the name of the woman who was detained but prosecutors provided details of Karen’s final hours before her terrifying death.
Karen’s husband Alan Carter, who is at their home in East London, South Africa, said he was told about her death on a phone call from his cousin in Yorkshire, on Wednesday. He told The Times that Karen was at a wine-tasting event, a short car ride away from their home, on Tuesday evening.
Alan said he was also surprised to hear from prosecutors that his wife “started a relationship” with a man and but her husband insisted he was “just a friend of hers”. Alan said: “What I understand is that Karen went to a wine-tasting event on Tuesday night and was supposed to phone him to let him know that she had got back safely.
“It was a ten-minute drive. I don’t know if Karen phoned, but when he couldn’t get through to her he drove to see if anything was wrong and found her unconscious next to her car.” This friend attempted to administer first aid to Karen and he was questioned by police but later released.
Alan added: “It is likely to have been someone Karen knew and had an issue with her. But she was a kind and friendly person and got on with people. I didn’t worry about her safety in France, we don’t need to lock doors, nothing happened there. People notice strange people walking around and if Karen had seen something bad, she would have shouted.
“I am just speculating, but the person who did it could have been someone she knew and perhaps I knew too.” A murder inquiry has been launched by the police but they did not share if the detained woman was a murder suspect.
A Trémolat resident said in tribute on Wednesday: “Everyone is in total shock – Ms Carter was a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody. We saw emergency vehicles in the village, and then lots of police cars, and then the area around her house was cordoned off.
“Nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this. We are all keeping our doors locked – it is deeply worrying.”
Karen, who was born in South Africa, was the owner and manager of two guest houses in Trémolat, and both were frequently used by guests from the UK. Alan said the couple divided up their time between France and South Africa.
