Kyle Clifford refused to accept the breakup and desperately tried to hold on by bombarding Louise Hunt with messages. When his attempts failed, he devised a revenge plan targeting her entire family.
The 18-month relationship between 25-year-old Louise and 26-year-old former security guard Kyle ended on June 26, 2024.
Louise messaged Kyle: "I feel like our relationship has broken down, and I can't ignore my feelings or what I've noticed over the past year."
A few days earlier, they had attended a wedding, which became the "catalyst" for the breakup. Kyle made degrading comments about Louise and insinuated he had slept with some of the guests.
On June 23, 2024, after returning from the wedding, Louise told Kyle she was exhausted by their relationship. "We need to talk," she said, prompting an angry reaction from Kyle.
They met on June 24 for a walk while Louise's sister, 28-year-old Hannah Hunt, waited nearby. Hannah texted her boyfriend, saying Kyle had started crying, leaving Louise confused. After considering things for a few days, Louise sent a breakup message. Kyle replied, "Thanks for the clarity so we can both begin the healing process."
Family and friends supported Louise's decision, believing she should have left earlier. A friend recalled Louise confiding in them about Kyle's aggressive, rude behavior and offensive comments about women. Hannah described him as "disrespectful, arrogant, and crude."
Kyle had also been secretly involved with two other women behind Louise's back, one of whom he continued seeing while trying to reconcile with Louise.
After the breakup, Kyle continued sending messages, but Louise ignored them.
Louise wrote a note on her phone titled "When You're Sad, Read This," listing reasons for the breakup, including Kyle's racist and derogatory language.
"I Can’t Live Without Her"
Kyle became furious when Louise refused to take him back. As his resentment toward her and her family grew, he meticulously planned his attack.
Surveillance footage showed him gathering supplies over two weeks.
On June 28, 2024, he was seen at a shop in Enfield, London, purchasing a 30-meter rope for £14.75. On June 30, he searched online for crossbows and bought one with six arrows for £357 on July 1. He also contacted his brother Bradley, who was serving a life sentence for murder, asking about acquiring weapons.
On July 4, Kyle bought duct tape and gasoline to destroy evidence. Two days later, he spent £89 on a high-quality meat cleaver. He also attempted to order an air rifle, but it hadn’t arrived by the time of the attack.
Kyle then wrote a note to his family, saying he "didn't want to live without her."
Terrifying Screams
At 1:40 PM on July 9, 2024, Kyle parked near Louise's house in Bushey, Hertfordshire, checking for cars outside.
He searched for horse racing events to determine if Louise’s father, John Hunt—a Sky Sports and BBC Radio 5 Live commentator—was home.
At 2:32 PM, Kyle rang the doorbell, carrying a knife in his backpack. He lied to Louise’s mother, 61-year-old Carol Hunt, saying he wanted to return some belongings. When she let him in, he attacked her despite her desperate screams.
Doorbell camera footage recorded the confrontation and sounds from inside the house.
Kyle moved Carol’s body to another room, covering it with blankets. At 3:07 PM, he returned to his car to retrieve the crossbow, concealing it under a blanket. Meanwhile, Louise was working at a dog grooming salon in the back of the house. Customers entered through a side gate.
Kyle waited until Louise came inside at 4:11 PM. Soon after, faint screams were heard. The footage captured piercing shrieks, a man shouting, and loud banging noises until 4:26 PM.
Kyle restrained Louise, tying her wrists and ankles and gagging her with duct tape. At some point, he allegedly raped her.
At 5:31 PM, he went to the outbuilding to take Louise’s phone, checking her recent contacts and Instagram activity. At 5:52 PM, he impersonated Louise, texting John to ask when he would be home. He also searched online for "Does unplugging a smoke detector fully disable it?" With two empty gasoline cans in his car, he was allegedly planning to set the house on fire.
Kyle left through the back garden at 6:20 PM and returned at 6:50 PM, drawing the curtains. The doorbell camera then recorded a loud whizzing sound. Prosecutors stated, "That was the crossbow firing into Louise’s back."
Moments later, Hannah entered the house, calling out for their mother. When she got no response, she shouted, "What the hell, Kyle? What’s wrong with you?" At 6:52 PM, she texted her boyfriend, Alex Klein, urging him to call the police, before Kyle silenced her phone.
Two minutes later, another whizzing sound was heard—Kyle had shot Hannah with the crossbow before wrapping it in a blanket and fleeing.
Audio recordings captured Hannah discovering her mother and sister’s bodies at 6:57 PM. She screamed, "Mom! Louise! Oh God, no!" Despite her severe injuries, Hannah used Carol’s phone to call 999 at 6:57 PM, reporting that Kyle had attacked them.
Armed police arrived at 7:10 PM with paramedics. Hannah was found collapsed at the entrance, barely alive, but resuscitation efforts failed. Louise was found bound next to her mother’s body.
"An Utter Coward"
Police issued a public alert, warning that Kyle was armed and dangerous.
After fleeing, Kyle drove toward his home but stopped at a cemetery near Enfield at 7:32 PM. He tied a noose to a tree branch, but both the rope and branch were too weak for a hanging attempt.
After a 22-hour manhunt, police found him at the cemetery at 6 PM on July 10. As armed officers and police dogs closed in, Kyle shot himself in the chest with the crossbow, causing paralysis from the waist down.
Kyle was arrested on the evening of July 11 for three counts of murder but remained in the hospital, unable to be interrogated due to his injuries. On September 17, additional charges of false imprisonment, rape, and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon were filed against him.
During his first police interview on September 16, 2024, Kyle said, "I'm sorry. What I did was cruel." Police released footage showing him sobbing in a wheelchair when asked about his note to his family. Officers noted that Kyle only displayed emotions when discussing himself, failing to acknowledge the suffering of his victims and others.
Kyle’s admiration for controversial influencer Andrew Tate—known for misogynistic remarks—was one of the key reasons Louise ended the relationship. She was deeply disturbed when Kyle played a video of Tate harming an animal while laughing with friends.
Investigators found multiple Tate videos on Kyle’s phone after the attack. He had watched some just hours before the murders, possibly influenced by "violent misogynistic rhetoric" from toxic influencers, according to police.
At his December 19, 2024 trial, Kyle initially pleaded not guilty.
On January 22, 2025, he admitted to three counts of murder, false imprisonment, and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
Forensic evidence indicated sexual assault, but his defense claimed the couple had consensual sex on June 23, 2024. Prosecutors dismissed this as absurd since Louise had already decided to end the relationship.
Kyle was convicted of rape. The judge described him as "a jealous, self-pitying man with utter contempt for women."
On March 11, he was sentenced to life without parole. He refused to attend both his trial and sentencing, which was deemed "an act of absolute cowardice."
Following the case, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the murders "horrific" and pledged to review crossbow laws to prevent similar attacks.
