A 70-YEAR-OLD woman has been charged over the killing of Brit Karen Carter after “significant holes” were reportedly found in her alibi.
Mum-of-four Karen, 65, was stabbed to death in the idyllic French village of Trémolat in April last year in what cops described as a “frenzied attack” in the driveway of her own home.
Detectives and prosecutors believe the killer lulled the Brit expat into a false sense of security before launching the meticulously planned knife attack.
The charged suspect is yet to be formally identified by prosecutors but she is believed to have been neighbour Marie-Laure Autefort.
Prosecutors revealed the prime suspect was originally taken into custody for two days in 2025 as part of preliminary inquiries.
The woman detained at the time was named as Autefort who was also involved in an alleged love feud with Karen and her partner.
Sources close to the initial investigations have now claimed that the woman’s alibi appeared solid at first which led to her being released.
But as cops continued to look into her story they found “significant holes”.
An investigating source said: “Her alibi was centered on helping to look after other people in Trémolat, and it appeared very credible.
“She had spent much of her adult life as a care worker, was highly respected in the community, and has no criminal record.
“Beyond this, she did not appear to have the physical strength to carry out such a violent attack, and so was initially released.”
But, on July 2 this year – 15 months after the horror slaying – the suspect was finally charged with premeditated murder because of the major flaws.
The investigating source added: “The inconsistencies were exposed after her story was checked out by police, and this took a long time.”
Jacques-Édouard Andrault, the state prosecutor in nearby Périgueux, said the suspect remains in custody and that she faces a possible life sentence.
Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor who is leading the murder enquiry, previously said that the woman was “part of the couple’s circle” when she was detained.
It follows claims that Karen, who lived alone, was the victim of a feud related to her love life.
The Brit was reportedly on the verge of divorcing her husband Alan Carter before her death.
Karen and Alan had owned their holiday home in Trémolat for 15 years, splitting time between France and South Africa, where Alan still works.
Karen was seeing Jean-François Guerrier, a 75-year-old retired business executive who lived nearby, at the time of her death.
In turn, those upset by the relationship included Autefort and another near-neighbour.
Mr Andrault said the 70-year-old was formally charge with premeditated murder on July 2, and was currently under “judicial supervision” because of her age.
This means she is under constant surveillance by judicial police, while not having to stay in a cell.
Mr Andrault confirmed she was a resident of Trémolat, but was not currently permitted to stay in the village
Philippe Monribot, Ms Autefort’s brother, has confirmed she was in love with Mr Guerrier, and deeply upset by his affair with Ms Carter, but said the thought of her murdering someone was preposterous.
He said: “It’s a catastrophe.
“The police messed up at the start of the investigation and when you get it wrong at the beginning, it’s difficult to get it right afterwards.”
Alan and Guerrier meanwhile, have strongly denied any wrongdoing, continuing to cooperate with investigators.
Karen lived alone in a renovated farmhouse in the French village, east of Bordeaux, and was a popular figure in the village before her death in April 2025.
Her body sustained eight major wounds – to the chest, groin, in the arm and one of her legs.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but despite their best efforts , she was pronounced dead.
The cause of her death was described as a “massive haemorrhage”.
On the day of her murder, Jean-François had hosted a wine-tasting and later followed her home in his car.
When he arrived, he found Karen lying in a pool of blood.
Jean-François told investigators he first suspected something was wrong when Karen did not call him after getting home, which was just a 10-minute drive away.
Both Ms Autefort and Mr Guerrier are among those who have given DNA samples to police, along with some 15 guests at Mr Guerrier’s wine tasting party.
But none provided a match to forensic evidence found at the crime scene, where the only apparent witness was Ms Carter’s puppy, Haku, who remained in her car.
At the time of the killing, Alan said that he first heard of her death when a cousin contacted him after reading about the death on a local community Facebook page.
He said he received confirmation of the death after his assistant phoned local police.
Describing his wife as an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, he said her death has been “traumatic” for his family.
He said: “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.”