A triple killer has been found guilty of raping his ex-partner before murdering her with a crossbow in an attack less than 24 hours after he watched “misogynistic” Andrew Tate videos.
Jurors took just 45 minutes to find Kyle Clifford, 26, guilty of raping Louise Hunt in a “violent, sexual act of spite” over their breakup before killing her, her sister and her mother.
He had previously admitted to stabbing Carol Hunt, 61, with a butcher’s knife and shooting Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28, with a crossbow at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, but denied raping his former partner.
Clifford was tried in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court after refusing to leave his cell at HMP Belmarsh.
Cries of “yes” were heard in the public gallery as the guilty verdict was returned on Thursday, with another woman weeping as the verdict was announced.
The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, said Clifford's crimes were "dreadful" and were "almost unspeakable".
The trial heard how the former soldier became “enraged” and “carefully” planned the attack on 9 July last year after Louise ended their 18-month relationship.
Prosecutors said the “violent misogyny promoted” by controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate “fuelled” his attack after he searched for Tate’s podcast less than 24 hours before the murders.
Clifford gained access to the family home by deceiving Carol, the wife of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, before stabbing her to death in a “brutal knife attack”.
He then “lay in wait” for an hour for Louise to enter the house, before restraining, raping and ultimately murdering her with a crossbow.
He also shot Hannah, a beautician, with the weapon when she returned to the property in the quiet cul-de-sac of Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, after work.
Police launched a manhunt for the killer and eventually found him injured in Lavender Hill Cemetery in Enfield, north London, after he shot himself in the chest with the crossbow. He was left paralysed from the chest down.
In January, he admitted to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
The court heard that customers of Louise’s dog grooming business, based in a pod in the Hunt family’s garden, were using the gate at the side of the house “not realising what was happening” when Carol was murdered.
The jury panel was told a faint scream could be heard from the address shortly after Louise entered the house, and she was found to have been restrained with tape at the wrists and ankles.
Hannah is heard on audio at the Hunt family home saying, “Kyle, I swear to God,” after returning home and finding Clifford in the house, the court heard.
She then sent a panicked message to her partner, Alex Klein, telling him: “Call police… immediately. To mine. Now. Kyle here. Police now. He’s tying us up.”
The court heard how the killer hid the fact he had relationships with other women during his time with Louise and was signed up to online dating sites Hinge and Bumble.
Louise’s friends and family “hoped that the relationship would come to an end” after they became concerned about the way Clifford treated her.
The jury was told Louise had shared with her friends that he had a “nasty temper” and that he behaved in an “aggressive manner”, with her sister Hannah deeming him to be “disrespectful, rude and arrogant”.
Louise made a note on her phone five days before the murders titled “When you’re sad, look”, which set out how Clifford was “racist”, had “commented he did not like transgender people” and had used “belittling language”.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said that in the days leading up to the attacks, Clifford had searched for how to purchase a crossbow and had accessed pornography, including a video of former HMP Wandsworth prison officer Linda De Sousa Abreu, who admitted having sex with a prisoner last year.
Three days before he launched his attack he purchased a Hori-Zone Kornet MXT-405 compound crossbow, a pack of six crossbow bolts and a rope-cocking device. He also ordered a £219 CO2 Glock air pistol, but it was not delivered.
On the day of the killings, Clifford’s sister had messaged when she realised he had taken the crossbow out with him, demanding: “What are you playing at?”
He told her he was doing nothing “illegal” and that he was shooting it in his friend’s back garden.
Lisa Kiff, a senior crown prosecutor with the CPS, said Clifford’s crimes are “among the very worst I have encountered in my career”.
“We hope some solace can be found in today’s verdict and that they feel justice has been secured for Carol, Hannah, and Louise,” she said.
Hertfordshire Police detective chief inspector Nick Gardner said Clifford's failure to attend his trial was an "absolute act of cowardice".
The judge had attempted to accommodate the killer by trying the case at an accessible court for his wheelchair needs and allowing him to attend via video link to give evidence.
Mr Gardner said: "He has put the family through the ordeal of the trial, he has created everything that's happened over this past week and failing to show his face is completely cowardly."
Clifford will be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday.
