Crossbow killer admits to killing mother and daughters

A man has admitted murdering his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow and their mother with a knife in an attack at the family home.

Carol Hunt, 61, was stabbed to death and Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25, were fatally injured by a crossbow bolt in Bushey, near Watford, on July 9.

Kyle Clifford, 26, from Enfield, north London, changed his previous not guilty pleas to their murders during an appearance via video link at Cambridge Crown Court.

The three women were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, and Louise was a former partner of Clifford.

Clifford, of Rendlesham Road, changed his arguments after denying the murder of the three women during a hearing at the same court in December.

He also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and possession of an offensive weapon.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping Louise Hunt and is due to stand trial on that charge on March 3.

On the day of the murders, Hertfordshire Police had been called by Hannah, who told officers she feared she would die because she had been shot and that her sister and mother had also been attacked.

She was found outside the main door of the house on Ashlyn Close and was still alive when officers arrived at around 7.10pm BST.

Louise’s arms and ankles had been bound with duct tape and she had been shot with a crossbow.

Their mother had stab wounds to her knees, hands, back and torso.

The attack in a quiet cul-de-sac sparked a manhunt which ended with Clifford being found seriously injured at Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield.

The killer, who served in the military for about three years starting in 2019, had shot himself in the chest with a crossbow.

Mr Hunt and his other daughter Amy released a statement after the attack, saying: “The devastation we are experiencing cannot be described in words.”

Learn more about this story

Related web links