BBC commentator whose family was murdered with a crossbow by his daughter's ex speaks out for the first time

John Hunt, a man whose wife and two daughters were murdered in a crossbow attack, is speaking out for the first time in an interview published by the BBC on Wednesday. On July 9, 2024, Hunt’s 61-year-old wife Carol, as well as his daughters, 25-year-old Louise and 28-year-old Hannah, were killed. The suspect was Louise’s ex-boyfriend, Kyle Clifford, who was later arrested. He pleaded guilty , and in March, was convicted of fatally stabbing Carol before he raped Louise and then killed the sisters at their family home in Bushey, north of London, with a crossbow. He received three life sentences, the BBC reported . Hunt, who is a BBC racing commentator, sat down with the publication alongside his third   daughter, Amy. “When it happened I thought, ‘How on earth am I ever going to be able to care about anything ever again?'” he said. “It’s fine to sit with that thought in the wreckage of what was our personal disaster. But you come to realize that, with a little bit of work, you can find some light again.” Hunt and Amy said they didn’t want to speak out earlier because the intense, and sometimes inaccurate, media coverage after the murders “added to their pain,” per the BBC. They didn’t want their family to be “defined by their deaths.” “From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them,” said Hunt. “Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, ‘Girls, sorry I can’t be with you, I’m with your mum at the moment.’ As I close my eyes at night, I chat to them as well. They’re very close to me all the time.” Amy revealed a touching memory with her sisters around two months before the horrific murders. She said they had gone out to dinner together and were so grateful for the lives they got to lead. They discussed how lucky they were to “have had the parents we’ve had and the life we’ve had,” she said.

My wife and daughters left behind a legacy of love, John Hunt tells BBC https://t.co/f85OM3XWL2— Victoria Derbyshire (@vicderbyshire) June 26, 2025

She told the BCC, at the time, there was no indication that Clifford was capable of such crimes. Although, the BBC reported, the relationship eventually “started to sour” between Clifford and Louise. It ended in late June, when Louise broke up with him. Clifford went to the Hunt’s family home on the day of the murders, reportedly to return some of Louise’s belongings. He had a brief and cordial interaction with Carol, which was captured on the family’s doorbell camera. He then followed Carol inside and stabbed her to death. When Louise arrived, her raped her and used a crossbow to kill her. Then, Hannah arrived and he killed her with a crossbow. Before Hannah died, she texted her boyfriend and called police. Hunt said he believes Hannah’s actions saved his life, as he was likely intended to be a victim of Clifford’s as well. “Police officers of 30 years’ experience had their breath taken away by how brave she was, how she was able to think so clearly in that moment, to know what she needed to do,” John says. The father-daughter pair also wanted to set the narrative straight when it came to Clifford and Louise’s relationship. Unlike how it was portrayed in the media,  it was not an abusive relationship, nor was Clifford “jilted.” The family had “misgivings” about Clifford, they said, but it was a normal and “unremarkable” relationship. “He never once hit her. He was in the house an awful lot in that 18 months, and never heard raised voices once. There were no obvious alarms that were ever, ever rung,” said Hunt, in a clip of the interview . Although, said Amy, there was “absolutely evidence that he had turned out not to be a nice person.” “He’s often been referred to as ‘crossbow killer’ and ‘crossbow maniac’ — but that takes away from the very real issue we know to be true. He was just a person, just a man… who went to the gym, had a family, had a relationship, watched TV,” said Amy. “I know it sounds crass, but we often say we wish we’d had some hint that he was capable of this.” Meanwhile, Hunt said he is reminded of Hannah’s bravery, and how it saved his life, every day. “I get to live. Hannah gave me that, and I’ve got to treat it as a gift from her,” he said. Amy and Hunt said the legacy of love left behind by Carol, Louise and Hannah gives them the strength to get through the grief and trauma. In the interview clip, Hunt read a TikTok shared by Louise on social media out loud. It was about loving someone completely. “I’m proud of myself for realizing that love is always worth giving, even when it may not be received,” one of the lines from the TikTok said. Although it wasn’t written by Louise, Hunt said it “could well have been.” “I’m so proud of her, living like that and loving like that,” said Hunt.

• British man pleads guilty to the murder of a mother and her daughters in crossbow attack
• Man, 26, charged with murder over crossbow attack that killed wife, daughters of BBC commentator

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