Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering BBC Presenter's Wife and 2 Daughters in Crossbow Attack, Court Hears

A man in England has pleaded guilty to killing his ex-girlfriend and her sister in a crossbow attack, as well as murdering their mother with a knife, a court has heard.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, Kyle Clifford, 26, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court from London’s Belmarsh Prison, The Guardian reported.

The Cambridge Crown Court confirmed to PEOPLE that the suspect pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, as well as admitting to one count of false imprisonment and the possession of two offensive weapons, following the killing of BBC Racing radio commentator John Hunt’s wife Carol, 61, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, on July 9, 2024.

The attack took place at the Hunt family’s home in the Hertfordshire town of Bushey in the East of England.

Per the BBC, Clifford, of north London, will stand trial at the same court later this year after being accused of raping Louise. The Cambridge Crown Court confirmed to PEOPLE that Clifford had pleaded not guilty to rape, stating that the trial was set for March 3.

Clifford, a former member of the Queen’s Dragoon Guard, appeared via video link in a wheelchair during Wednesday’s court appearance, per The Times. He underwent life-saving surgery after he was found with injuries from the attack following a 22-hour manhunt, the outlet stated.

The news comes after an inquest into the deaths began on July 30 at Hertfordshire Coroner’s Court. The court heard that Hannah was still alive with a crossbow bolt in her chest when police arrived at the property, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, BBC News and The Guardian reported at the time.

Per the outlets, Hannah had texted an unnamed individual saying she’d been “tied up” and had asked them to call the police. Hannah also stated that the suspect was still in the house.

The previous hearing also heard that Hannah managed to call the police herself and give her address, but the call ended up cutting out, the BBC reported.

Carol died from stab wounds to her chest and abdomen in the attack, while Hannah and Louise died from the crossbow bolt injuries, per the AP.

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John Hunt and his surviving daughter Amy spoke out about the attack in a statement shared on Facebook by the Hertfordshire Constabulary on July 13.

“The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words,” they said.  

“We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days. These have provided great comfort to us for which we are very grateful,” the statement added.

“As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and start the grieving process. While this is happening, we would ask that our privacy and that of our wider family and relations be respected at this time. Thank you,” they concluded.

A GoFundMe page set up by John Hunt’s friend Matt Chapman to help Amy and the family had so far raised more than $152,000 as of Wednesday, Jan. 22.