Who is Kyle Clifford? Former soldier and crossbow killer to serve life sentence: What’s the case?

Kyle Clifford, who is convicted of murdering two sisters — one was his ex-girlfriend — and their mother has been sentenced to life in prison. Infamously known as the crossbow killer, former soldier Kyle Clifford killed the three – Louise Hunt, Hannah Hunt and Carol Hunt – at their family home just north of London on July 9, 2024.

Kyle Clifford has also been convicted of raping Louise Hunt before killing her with a crossbow. The women were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt.

Who is Kyle Clifford?

Kyle Clifford, third of four siblings, was born in April 1998 in Enfield, north London. His elder brother was also jailed for life in 2018 for murders.

In 2019, Kyle Clifford served in the British Army for two years before dropping out in 2022. “He struggled to grasp basic military concepts but managed to reach the standard to pass out from training,” an Army source was quoted as saying about Kyle Clifford to Al Jazeera.

After leaving the Army, Kyle Clifford worked at the fire and security installation firm Amthal.

The crossbow killer case

A few days before the murders, Louise Hunt had ended her relationship with Kyle Clifford. Two days later, on June 28, Kyle Clifford bought a 30m (98ft) length of rope. On July 3, Kyle bought a crossbow, a cocking device and a pack of six bolts; he also bought an air pistol which was not delivered to him.

On July 4 and 6, Kyle bought two petrol cans and a 25-cm butcher's knife, respectively.

On the day of the murders, Kyle Clifford spent the morning with his family before driving 30 minutes to Hertfordshire to the Hunt family residence.

Kyle Clifford arrived at the Hunt residence on the pretext of returning some of his ex-girlfriend's possessions. While having a conversation with Carol Hunt, Kyle asked Carol if he could come in, said Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner.

The officer of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said that Clifford also asked if Carol's husband John was at home.

Once inside the house, Kyle Clifford stabbed Carol with a knife that he was hiding in his rucksack. After killing Carol, Kyle brought a crossbow from his car and waited for his ex-girlfriend Louise.

When she came into the house, Kyle Clifford attacked her, raped her and shot her with a crossbow. He later shot her sister, Hannah Hunt, when she returned home from work. An injured Hannah, however, managed to make an emergency call to the police.

Kyle Clifford was arrested 20 hours later.