A jealous woman who called her ex-partner 45 times in 30 minutes before stabbing him to death on Christmas Day has been convicted of murder after chilling CCTV captured her “stalking” him around the garden with a knife.
Kirsty Carless, 33, plunged a kitchen knife into 31-year-old Louis Price’s heart in the early hours of December 25, 2024, after a friend sent her a screenshot of his Tinder dating profile. The attack at his parents’ home in Norton Canes, Staffordshire, came whilst she was on police bail for allegedly strangling him just weeks earlier.
Father-of-six Mr Price, who had been classified by police as “at very high risk of domestic abuse”, was discovered dead with a single stab wound to the chest in the conservatory after Carless fled the scene in a waiting taxi.
Pattern of Escalating Violence
Stafford Crown Court heard the murder was the culmination of years of abuse that Mr Price had suffered at the hands of his “manipulative, emotionally volatile and jealous” ex-partner. In a witness statement to police following an incident in November 2024, Mr Price said that “on the whole” the relationship had been “abusive.
She has constantly been abusive towards me, stopped me doing things I enjoy like football, and physically abused me,” he told officers, adding: “She has abused me for years now yet I’m always the one that gets arrested.
The court heard disturbing evidence of multiple violent incidents, including one where a neighbour witnessed Carless chasing Mr Price and hitting him in the ribs with a metal pole as he tried to protect his head. On another occasion, she allegedly poured bleach over £400 worth of his clothing and threw a shoe out of a window, striking him on the head.
Just weeks before the fatal attack, Mr Price had confided in friend Demi-Louise Deakin at a funeral, telling her he was “scared of Kirsty” and believed “something bad would happen to him” if he didn’t leave her.
Fatal Night Fuelled by Cocaine and Alcohol
On Christmas Eve 2024, Carless had been drinking double vodka and cokes at a pub with a male friend. She later had sex with him three times at his home before receiving the fateful Tinder screenshot at around 1.30am on Christmas Day.
The image of Mr Price’s dating profile sent Carless into a jealous rage. Despite her own activities that evening, she bombarded him with 45 phone calls between 2.15am and 2.44am whilst waiting for a taxi. She also called the cab company twice during this period, demanding to know where her ride was.
After taking a taxi home to collect a kitchen knife from Haling Way, Cannock, she ordered another cab to Mr Price’s parents’ address in Elm Road, Norton Canes, where she expected to find him with another woman.
Chilling CCTV Captures Attack
Released police footage shows Carless running up the front path at approximately 3am, having asked the taxi driver to wait outside as she would “only be a minute. The disturbing CCTV then captures her “stalking” Mr Price around the garden, possibly with the knife already in hand.
Prosecutor Jonas Hankin KC told the jury: “You have seen the video of the defendant chasing Mr Price around the garden with a knife, like something out of a horror movie.”
The attack, described as being “motivated by anger and jealousy and fuelled by cocaine and alcohol”, ended with Mr Price suffering a fatal stab wound to the heart. Carless then fled in the waiting taxi to her parents’ home, where she was arrested.
Police bodycam footage captured the killer sobbing as officers detained her on suspicion of murder. Her stepfather had called 999 after she arrived at their address.
“I’m Not a Violent Person”
During the trial, Carless claimed she had no recollection of stabbing Mr Price and insisted she was “not a violent person”. She told the court she had only gone to his parents’ home because she believed he had taken money from a card at her house.
“I remember being in the conservatory, that was it the next thing I knew I was in the kitchen,” she testified. “Louis was sat on the floor. Then I panicked and ran off.”
Carless claimed she had taken the knife intending to “destroy the caravan” where Mr Price was staying in his parents’ back garden. When asked if she remembered chasing him around the garden or stabbing him, she replied “No” to both questions.
However, the jury rejected her version of events. Following a trial at Stafford Crown Court, Carless was unanimously convicted of murder and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. She was also found guilty by majority verdict of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over the November incident but cleared of intentional strangulation.
Victim Remembered as “Well-Loved”
In a heartbreaking tribute released after his death, Mr Price’s family described him as a “well-known member of the community” who was “well-loved” and always smiling.
“Louis was well-loved by his family and closest friends. He always had time for anyone and would help anyone he could,” they said. “Louis was a devoted fisherman, he had a passion for fishing and regularly went away on trips with friends and family. He loved football, he played for a team and was a life-long supporter of Aston Villa.
The family added: “As a family we are devastated at losing Louis. Life will never be the same without him, he leaves a huge hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. Christmas is a time we have always spent together as a family, to lose Louis at this time is even harder.”
Mr Price leaves behind his mother, father, brother and sister, along with his six children – four daughters and two sons “who he loved dearly”.
Domestic Abuse Warning Signs Ignored
The case has raised serious questions about the handling of domestic violence cases where men are victims. Despite being classified as high-risk and having made multiple reports to police about Carless’s violent behaviour, Mr Price remained trapped in the abusive relationship.
Body-worn camera footage from a November 2024 incident showed Mr Price crying and telling officers: “It’s f****** embarrassing… it can’t keep happening, man.” Despite his distress and the clear pattern of escalating violence, Carless was released on bail – a decision that would prove fatal just weeks later.
The murder represents a tragic example of how domestic abuse can affect anyone, regardless of gender, and the devastating consequences when warning signs are not adequately addressed.
Carless will be sentenced at a later date. She faces a mandatory life sentence for murder, with the judge to determine the minimum term she must serve before being eligible for parole.
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