The husband of a British-South African expatriate killed in the Dordogne has spoken out over his wife’s death after visiting the scene for the first time.
Karen Carter, a 65-year-old mother-of-four, was stabbed to death near the front porch of the gîte she rented to holidaymakers on the outskirts of Trémolat, a small village east of Bordeaux.
French prosecutors believe that the killer may have harboured a grudge against either Mrs Carter or the French lover with whom she was rumoured to have been having an affair with at the time of her death.
Jean-François Guerrier was rumoured to have been having an affair with Karen Carter at the time of her death – Paul Grover
Her husband, Alan Carter, 65, spoke with the Telegraph the day after he landed in Trémolat from South Africa and visited the site of the attack.
In a brief three-minute long conversation on Wednesday morning, he said: “We are just trying to come to terms with what happened. We have all of the grief. We have spent the last few hours in Trémolat. It has been very difficult coming back to the village.
“We are still struggling with everything,” he added.
Mr Carter visited the gîte, which remains cordoned off by the gendarmerie, on Tuesday evening
Accompanied by a family friend, who had travelled with him from East London, Mr Carter looked over the police tape, paused for reflection for five minutes and surveyed the scene of the attack before walking back to his car and driving away.
0705 Dordogne murder
A large pool of dried blood remains visible on the white gravel driveway.
On the ground, just outside the police tape, a pale green vase filled with roses and white trumpet lilies has been left in tribute.
Mr Carter’s companion, who did not wish to be identified, told the Telegraph: “They are a large family stretched across continents, and all of us adults and children, are still in shock at what has happened.
“We just want to respect the investigation.”
Mrs Carter was found stabbed outside her guest house in the French village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux – Paul Grover
Jean-François Guerrier, a 74-year-old retired Fujitsu executive, is understood to have been in a relationship with Mrs Carter for a number of weeks before the attack.
Mr Carter has said he was unaware of their relationship until it was publicly announced by the French prosecutor leading the investigation and has described a “feeling of betrayal”.
Mrs Carter and Mr Guerrier had both run the Café Village together, a community hub and watering hole in the centre of the village.
Mr Guerrier was the first to discover Mrs Carter and call the police as she lay dying next to her car with eight stab wounds to her “chest, groin, arm and leg”.
He was later questioned and released without charge.
‘Wrongly accused’
Mr Guerrier has declined to comment on the case or the nature of their relationship but said Mrs Carter was a “lovely lady” when approached by journalists at his farmhouse.
Police arrested Marie Laure Autefort, a local 69-year-old retired carer and amateur genealogist but released her shortly afterwards without charge.
Her brother told The Telegraph that she was detained because she had become infatuated with Mr Guerrier following her divorce and was viewed as a potential love rival.
Philippe Monribot said: “She was wrongly accused. And I want to say that loud and clear. All I know is that she’s in a very, very bad way and won’t get over this accusation.”
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