A 69-YEAR-OLD woman has been arrested over the brutal killing of Brit mum Karen Carter.
Karen, 65, described by friends as “the embodiment of kindness”, was found stabbed to death in a frenzied attack outside her French home in the Dordogne.
Brit mum Karen Carter was brutally stabbed to death in France
She was found outside a property she owned in Trémolat
She was discovered “collapsed and unconscious” near her car in the sleepy village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday.
Her body was found by a male pal with whom she’d been drinking at a local bar earlier on Tuesday evening.
The man – said by prosecutors to have been in a relationship with Mrs Carter for several weeks – was arrested but released after several hours.
French prosecutors now say the suspect, a woman who also lives in Trémolat and was known to the couple, has been detained.
She is described as being “from Mrs Carter’s entourage”, with local media saying it is unclear if the woman is being treated as a potential suspect.
Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor for Bergerac, said Karen had “several wounds, of which five were deep and caused by a sharp object, notably to the chest, the groin, the arm and the leg”.
“The wounds revealed a singular violence and their placement showed the desire to kill,” she added.
A murder investigation has been launched, led by officers in Bergerac and Agen.
Previously, prosecutors said possible motives being probed included robbery.
Husband pays tribute
Karen and her husband Alan had owned their holiday home in Trémolat for 15 years, splitting time between France and South Africa, where her Alan still works.
Speaking from their home in East London, South Africa, Mr Carter said he learned of his wife’s death via a Facebook post read by a cousin who also lives in Trémolat.
“She phoned me…to say she’s sorry to tell me and that she thinks Karen has died. That was the first I heard about it,” he said.
“No one had got in touch with me at all to let me know what had happened. I found out through my cousin who happened to see it on a Facebook page.”
The former London Stock Exchange worker, 65, described her as “such a decent, lovely person”, and told of the family’s shock.
He said his wife of 30 years was an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, and said her death has been “traumatic” for his family.
Mr Carter told the BBC: “I’m an introvert, and she’s the exact opposite. She’s an extrovert, she loves people, she loves to have fun. People love her, she has a good heart.
“She’s the one who would bring home the lost dog, or cat, or whatever. She’s that sort of person. Everyone liked her. That’s why I married her. She’s just lovely.”
Martins-Guedes said Karen had “started a relationship” with a man in the weeks before her death — a claim Mr Carter strongly denied.
“There was no relationship. He was just a friend of hers,” he said.
He told The Times: “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.
Her body was found by a male pal, who immediately alerted emergency services
FacebookThe tragic Brit was a well-loved member of her community in the Dordogne[/caption]
The mum and her husband had owned their holiday home in Trémolat for 15 years
“I don’t know the details but I understand the attack was vicious and deliberate and not like it was by an interrupted intruder.
“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 am just speculating but the person who did it could have been someone she knew and perhaps I knew too.”
He last spoke to his wife on Tuesday and had to break the news to their four children, the oldest of whom is Nicholas, a chartered accountant in London.
Mr said: “We are planning to go to France and have a funeral; the children will come, have a cremation and bring her ashes to South Africa and scatter some in Trémolat.
“They are struggling, as they would. They are shocked.”
Karen had lived in Trémolat for more than a decade, where she ran two holiday rental homes.
Her husband told the BBC: “Particularly since Covid, my wife has spent more time there running the gîtes (holiday homes). It’s been very busy, it’s been very successful.
“She was very good at her job and marketing it and getting bookings throughout the year.”
A local football team for whom Mrs Carter played will tonight pay tribute to her at a game in the Basque Country.
The Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) side – nicknamed the “Football Grannies” – will observe a minute’s silence before the game. Players will also wear black armbands, local media reported.
Mrs Carter was one of 18 players who flew to South Africa last month to take part in the “Grandma’s World Cup” tournament.
Paying tribute, the club wrote on Facebook earlier this week: “We are immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen, our friend and Queen of Football, who leaves a great void in our hearts.
“All our thoughts go out to her loved ones.”
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