Pictured: 'Love rival', 70, charged over 'brutal knife killing' of Brit expat - who was found dead in French Dordogne village more than a year ago

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER and PETER ALLEN Published: 00:54, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 00:55, 23 July 2026 A woman who was 'a close neighbour' of a British mother-of-four stabbed to death at her home in France has been charged with murder. The suspect, 70, is said to have killed 65-year-old Karen Carter in the village of Trémolat, in the Dordogne, in April 2025. It follows claims that Ms Carter, who lived alone, was the victim of a feud related to her love life. She was on the verge of divorcing her South Africa-based husband, Alan Carter, now 66, while seeing Jean-François Guerrier, a 75-year-old retired executive who lived close to her French property. However this had reportedly not sat well with the suspect who is thought to have been 'madly in love' with Mr Guerrier.  On Wednesday, the prosecutor did not identify the woman - but his description effectively identified 70-year-old neighbour Marie-Laure Autefort.  When approached by media, he declined to comment on the identity. It is unknown if Autefort accepts or denies the claims put to her.   The police record, which was previously released, states: 'During his brief custody period, Jean-François Guerrier directed them to Marie-Laure Autefort, a resident of Trémolat who lives only about a ten-minute walk from the victim's home, cutting across the fields. Marie-Laure Autefort, 70, (above) is charged with the killing of Karen Carter, 65, in the village of Trémolat, in the Dordogne, in April 2025  Ms Carter was found outside a guesthouse she ran in Trémolat, east of Bordeaux  The 65-year-old was attacked at the property (pictured) in the Dordogne village on April 29 last year  'He described her as a woman who had fallen madly in love with him the previous year, to the point of divorcing the father of her children after several decades of marriage.' 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.  'It's a catastrophe,' he said. '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.' The public prosecutor of Périgueux, Jacques-Edouard Andrault, told Sud Ouest: '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.' The prosecutor added: 'Since then, the investigations conducted as part of the judicial inquiry opened on May 7, 2025, have led the investigating judge to indict her.' Dordogne Libre, a local French paper, reported that the woman who was arrested was believed in this case to have 'unrequited feelings' for Guerrier, and frequented the same community café as Ms Carter.  It was previously reported that she was held for 48 hours after the incident, before being released after 'checks regarding her whereabouts'. Ms Carter died in front of the guesthouse she opened in the tranquil village.  Investigators said at the time she had been stabbed eight times, with one blow 'penetrating the aorta'. They added that the cause of her death was a 'massive haemorrhage'. The public prosecutor said the 'judicial inquiry is continuing'. Her lover, Guerrier, had hosted a wine tasting party on the day Ms Carter died, and later followed her to her home in his car. The home where Ms Carter was found dead  Ms Carter and her husband Alan - who she had been on the verge of divorcing Jean-Francois Guerrier, the man rumoured to have been romantically linked to Karen When he got there he found her lying in a pool of blood, before she was declared dead at the scene by emergency workers. Mr Guerrier first said he was concerned that his lover had not telephoned him on reaching her house, which was just ten minutes away from his. He then told police he 'had come to spend the night at Karen's', leaked interview notes revealed.  Ms Carter was said to have divided her time between France and South Africa. She and her husband owned their property, called Les Chouettes, for 15 years.  The farmhouse and barn sleeps 16 in total and was a popular holiday rental. The couple owned two other properties near Trémolat. The couple had four adult children together – two daughters and two sons – who live in the UK, America, Australia and South Africa.  On the day of her death, Ms Carter had trained with her football team, comprising women aged between 50 and 70. Later that evening, she attended a wine tasting soirée at Cafe Village – a bar which acts as a community hub, where she occasionally volunteered. Before she left, Guerrier asked her to call him when she got home so he knew she was safe. But when no such call was made, he drove to Ms Carter's home and found her body. Despite the best efforts of medics, she died at the scene from severe blood loss. Mr Andrault said the 70-year-old was formally charged 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. Your browser does not support iframes. Two days before her murder, on her 65th birthday, Ms Carter posed for what is believed to be her last ever photograph while out for lunch with friends Despite the best efforts of medics, she died at the scene from severe blood loss  While detectives investigated the crime, Ms Carter's widower and four adult children had a strong feeling about who was to blame. Their lawyer, Reda Hammouche, said on April 29 this year – the one-year anniversary of the crime – that they had 'a hunch, an opinion on the matter'. He said it followed a detailed examination of 'the case file that we discuss – me and them – in the privacy of our meetings.' Mr Hammouche continued: 'So they have a hunch, but I won't elaborate further on the subject. 'I obviously can't go into detail since the confidentiality of the investigation prevents me from divulging such information, but numerous leads are being explored, many actions are being taken, and so,indeed, daily, as I speak to you, actions are being carried out. 'And they hope that all of this will be resolved by identifying the perpetrator of this murder and by justice being served for Karen.'