Kyle Clifford made ominous remark before family massacre; John Hunt recalls

John Hunt spoke out for the first time after the murder of his wife and daughters by Kyle Clifford. He recounted troubling signs in Clifford's behavior.

BBC's John Hunt has broken his silence following the tragic murders of his wife, Carol, and daughters, Hannah and Louise, in their Hertfordshire home last July. Speaking publicly for the first time since the brutal crossbow attack, Hunt revealed a chilling remark and a subtle behaviour change that, in hindsight, may have signalled the deadly intent of the killer, Kyle Clifford, his daughter’s ex-partner.

John Hunt speaks out after the tragic murder of his wife and daughters, revealing chilling moments and subtle signs of the killer's intent. (Screenshot/BBC interview )

Hunt reveals Kyle Clifford’s remark before he murdered the entire family

In the recent interview with the BBC, Hunt, for the first time, opened up about the killer, the impact of the murder, and the “turning point” he noticed in Louise and Clifford’s relationship. He recalled a disturbing moment during a friend’s wedding trip, where Clifford made a cruel jibe at Louise in front of other guests. After she struggled to use the oven the night before, guests asked about her job the next day, only for Clifford to cut her off with a belittling remark.

He quipped, “One thing she doesn't do is know how to work an oven properly,” as reported by The Mirror. Lousie’s former partner fatally stabbed Carol, raped Luise and then tried to kill the two sisters with the crosbow.

Hunt reveals hints of ‘manipulation’ in couple’s texts

After the unfortunate incident, Hunt went through Clifford and Louise’s texts, which showed signs of “gentle manipulation.” However, there were no signs that things had turned abusive between them. Surviving sister Amy revealed to the BBC, “At the point of Louise ending [the relationship], there was absolutely evidence that he had turned out not to be a nice person.”

She continued, “But I want to put it very bluntly now. Did we have any indication that this man was capable of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not.”

Amy added, “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. I know it sounds crass, but we often say we wish we'd had some hint that he was capable of this."

In his powerful victim impact statement, John Hunt directly labelled Clifford a “psychopath,” confronting him in court with the full weight of his words.