The husband of a British expat who was stabbed eight times at her home in France has slammed those who suspected he was involved in her killing. Karen Carter, 65, was murdered at her home in the rural French village of Trémolat, in the Dordogne, in April 2025. 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'.Her death was mired in mystery, with several people being detained and questioned over it in the days after the incident. But following the arrest and charging of 70-year-old prime suspect Marie-Laure Autefort earlier this month, which was revealed yesterday, Ms Carter's husband has now lashed out at those who accused him of killing his wife. Speaking from his South African home to The Times, Alan Carter said: 'I am aware that there were some people who suspected I was involved in Karen’s death, which exacerbated the sense of shock and bereavement, and I hope this goes some way to showing how wrong they were. He added: 'Obviously we are relieved that there’s been some progress in the case after more than a year, even though it is not a trial or conviction. We are grateful to the police who have put in a huge effort to get to this point.' Karen Carter (pictured) with her South Africa-based husband, Alan Carter, who she had been on the verge of divorcingThe 65-year-old was attacked at the property in village of Trémolat on April 29 last year Marie-Laure Autefort (pictured) has been charged with the killing of Karen Carter in the Dordogne village of Trémolat in April 2025 He also told the Daily Mail: 'We are relieved that, after more than a year, the investigation has progressed to the formal investigation of an individual believed to be responsible for the death of our beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, Karen.'We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the investigators, the investigating magistrate, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and all those who have dedicated countless hours to this complex case. We are equally grateful to our lawyer, Maître Reda Hammouche, for his unwavering commitment to representing our family with dignity and determination throughout these proceedings.'As we prepare for the next stages, our family respectfully asks that our privacy continue to be respected. We remain united in our hope that the full truth will come to light, and that justice will ultimately be served for Karen.' Ms Carter was on the verge of divorcing Mr 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. The prosecutor did not identify the woman yesterday 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. Karen Carter was found dead at her home (pictured) last year Two days before her murder, on her 65th birthday, Karen Carter (pictured) posed for what is believed to be her last ever photograph while out for lunch with friends'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 Mr 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'. During this time, an investigating magistrate questioned her, alongside senior judicial police officers, and all of the interviews were taped.An investigating source told the Mail: ‘Her alibi was centred 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 – a full 15 months later – the suspect was finally charged with ‘premeditated murder’ because of the ‘significant holes’ in her claims.The investigating source said: ‘The inconsistencies were exposed after her story was checked out by police, and this took a long time.’The public prosecutor said the 'judicial inquiry is continuing'.Her lover, Mr Guerrier, had hosted a wine tasting party on the day Ms Carter died, and later followed her to her home in his car.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.