Kyle Clifford, aged 26, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and her sister with a crossbow before stabbing their mother to death at an address in Bushey, Hertfordshire
Crowwbow victim Louise Hunt had dumped boyfriend Kyle Clifford just a week before he murdered her, it is reported.
It is said Louise, 25, grew tired of Clifford’s controlling behaviour and so ended their six-month relationship in July last year. Just days later Louise was murdered. Her older sister Hannah Hunt, 28, was also shot dead by a crossbow bolt fired by 26-year-old Clifford, who also stabbed their mother, Carol, 61, to death with a butcher’s knife.
He admitted the three murders today and also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an offensive weapon, and one count of false imprisonment in relation to Louise Hunt. However, he denied the rape of Louise Hunt and will stand trial for this in March at Cambridge Crown Court.
Following Clifford’s guilty pleas, Louise’s final post on social media platform X emerged. It was a retweeted message which hailed those who decided to leave abusive and controlling partners. The message on July 3 read: “I admire women who leave whether you left after the 1st time or the 12th time.
“If ppl was calling you dumb for 11 years but in the 12th year you decided you was done…it takes ALOT of strength to break a tie. it takes ALOT of self love to choose yo self.”
Louise had jilted Clifford, reports Mail Online, and tried to use social media to empower other women – and men – in her position. However, when Clifford turned up at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire to collect his belongings on July 9, he burst into his fit of rage.
Recalling the difficult time, a family friend said: “Carol did not go into too much detail, but you could see she was concerned… She said her daughter’s split with her boyfriend was messy.”
Neighbours paid their respects to the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt. Glyn Nicholas, 77, remembered Louise, a dog groomer, appeared “very upset” following what he understood to be “a very bad break-up”.
The pensioner said: “Louise was a very nice girl. She ran a dog grooming business from the house. I heard that she split from her boyfriend and was very upset about it. So much so that she was driving home at some point and drove into a wooden telegraph pole not far from the house.”
Clifford wasn’t charged with murder until December 2024, some five months after the killings. He had denied all the charges but, at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday, entered the guilty plea to each count, except the rape. Clifford, from Enfield, north London, will face trial for rape at the same court on March 3.
