In a tragic incident in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, on July 9, 2024, Carol Hunt, 61, and her two daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were found dead in their home.
Kyle Clifford, 26, a former soldier in the British Army’s Queen’s Dragoon Guards, has been charged with their murders, as well as false imprisonment and possession of two offensive weapons: a 10-inch butcher’s knife and a crossbow.
Clifford, from Enfield, was discovered injured in a cemetery on July 10, 2024, a day after the attack. Hertfordshire police confirmed that they were initially unable to interview him due to his medical condition.
Following his apprehension, Clifford was formally charged and remanded into custody. He appeared remotely before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 17, 2024, where the charges were read. Clifford faces three murder charges for the deaths of Carol, Hannah, and Louise Hunt, as well as additional counts related to the possession of weapons and the unlawful imprisonment of Louise Hunt. Louise had been found tied to a chair when police arrived at the scene.
During the court proceedings, District Judge Paul Goldspring informed Clifford that the murder and false imprisonment charges would only be heard at the Crown Court. Clifford was remanded in custody and will appear before the Central Criminal Court at the Royal Courts of Justice. No bail was considered due to the severity of the charges.
According to court documents, Clifford, who had previously been in a relationship with Louise Hunt, attacked the family with a crossbow and a knife. On the evening of the attack, Hannah Hunt bravely managed to call the police. “She said that her mother and sister had been shot and that she feared she was going to die,” the court heard. Despite her efforts, the phone call was cut off. When police arrived at the house, they found the front door open and Louise tied up. Both Louise and Hannah had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother, Carol, had been stabbed to death with a butcher’s knife.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner expressed sympathy for the Hunt family, stating: “We have been working hard to gather as much evidence as possible and establish the full circumstances of what happened that day. We can now move forward with the judicial process and seek justice for their family.”
John Hunt, the husband of Carol and father of Hannah and Louise, who is a popular BBC racing commentator, spoke about his overwhelming grief, saying the pain he’s feeling is impossible to describe.