Cannock woman guilty of Christmas Day murder
Louis Price died following an incident last year.
Last updated 30th Jul 2025
The jury in a murder trial involving a Cannock woman accused of stabbing her ex-partner on Christmas Day has found her guilty of murder.
33-year-old Kirsty Carless was arrested and later charged over the death of Louis Price, 31, who police found in cardiac arrest on Elm Road, at 3.25am, 25th December 2024.
During the trial, Carless claimed she was "not a violent person" and had no recollection of stabbing Price, and that she'd only gone to the house to confront Price about some money she believed was taken from inside a card.
The prosecution told the court this was an attack "motivated by anger and jealousy and fuelled by cocaine and alcohol" after a friend sent her a picture of his dating profile on Tinder.
The court was told Mr Price was considered by police to be "at very high risk of domestic abuse" before his death.
The trial was told Carless, of Haling Way in Cannock, Staffordshire, had been at the pub drinking double vodka and cokes with a male friend on December 24.
A female friend sent her a screenshot of Mr Price's Tinder profile at around 1.30am on Christmas Day, which left her angry.
Carless took a taxi back to her house, where she picked up a kitchen knife and got another taxi to Mr Price's parents' address in Elm Road, Norton Canes, where she expected to find him with a woman.
CCTV showed her running up the front path into the house and then "stalking" him around the garden before he was later found with a single stab wound to the chest on the conservatory floor.
In a statement, Mr Price's family said:
"Louis was well-loved by his family and closest friends. He was a well-known member of the community, always had a smile on his face and brought a positive energy to anywhere he went.
"He always had time for anyone and would help anyone he could. 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 lifelong supporter of Aston Villa.
"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.
"Louis leaves behind his mom, dad, brother and sister, along with his six children. He has four daughters and two sons who he loved dearly. Louis had a big heart, he loved those closest to him."
Carless will be sentenced tomorrow (Thursday)