Crossbow victim Louise Hunt dumped killer boyfriend Kyle Clifford just a week before he murdered her after falling ill with his controlling behaviour, MailOnline can reveal.
Louise, 25, made the brave decision after former soldier Clifford 'imposed' her life on her, including a ban on wearing make-up, seeing male friends and staying out late without him.
Friends say she ended their six-month relationship after she finally had enough of him making fun of her and telling her what to do.
Her last post on social media platform
The message read: 'I admire women who leave, whether you left after the first time or the twelfth time.'
The post – sent on July 3 last year – continued: 'When people have been calling you stupid for eleven years, but in year twelf you decide you're done… it takes a LOT of strength to break a tie. it takes a LOT of self-love to choose yourself.”
Louise and older sister Hannah Hunt, 28, were shot dead by a crossbow bolt fired by 26-year-old Clifford, who also stabbed their mother, Carol, 61, to death with a butcher's knife.
He had come to their suburban home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on July 9 to collect some of his belongings following the split with Louise.
Kyle Clifford (pictured) was dumped by his girlfriend just a week before he killed her after growing tired of his controlling behavior
Louise Hunt (pictured), who was previously in a relationship with Clifford, was killed along with her mother and sister in the Bushey crossbow attack
Brave Hannah Hunt called 999 during the attacks and was still alive when police arrived at the Bushey home, but later died from her injuries
John Hunt is pictured with his wife Carol, who was murdered along with two of their two daughters
The three women were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt.
A family friend said tragic Carol told friends at her local gym that her youngest daughter was involved in a 'messy' break-up with her boyfriend
She confided in a friend while she was training at the Bushey Grove Leisure Centre, a five-minute walk from the family home.
The friend said: “She said the breakup between her daughter and her boyfriend was messy.
“Carol didn't go into too much detail, but you could tell she was concerned.”
Despite her brave decision to leave Clifford, dog groomer Louise was left devastated and the stress of the break-up is said to have caused her to crash her car near her family home.
Neighbor Glyn Nicholas, 77, said Louise seemed 'very upset' after what he thought was 'a very bad break-up' the week before.
He said: 'Louise was a very nice girl. She ran a dog grooming business from her home. I heard that she had separated from her boyfriend and was very upset about it. So much so that at one point she was driving home and crashed into a wooden telegraph pole not far from the house. Apparently the car door had collapsed due to the impact.'
But friends of the Hunts claimed to have noticed signs of trouble during Clifford's relationship with Louise, The Times reported.
Abdul Morsi, Hannah's best friend, told the newspaper: 'He was controlling. He didn't like her going out with friends.
'He kept calling her asking, 'When are you coming home?'
'They didn't live together, but he wanted control. He just had a controlling attitude.”
Neighbors described Clifford as “peaceful, very reserved” when he was a child.
His brother Bradley was the first of the pair to be killed and is serving a life sentence for the murder of 18-year-old Soban Khan, in a fit of rage over the damage to his prized car.
And at first it seemed like Bradley was the only bad one in the family.
A neighbor said: 'He was never one to be loud…or get rowdy. Of the three brothers, he was the last one you would expect to cause trouble.'
Another said: “His brother Bradley was moody and disrespectful to his grandmother. After he got his job and started working, he got into drugs.”
But one woman told how she was forced to cut ties with the entire family because she also became afraid of Kyle.
MailOnline yesterday revealed how Clifford was filled with jealous rage and controlled every aspect of Louise's life before the brutal triple murder.
He was furious after the relationship ended and went to the family home with a crossbow and a 10-inch knife on the pretext of retrieving some of his belongings he had left there.
He stabbed Carol in the back, chest and legs. Louise had her arms and ankles bound with duct tape and she was fatally shot by a crossbow.
Hannah was also shot with a crossbow bolt, but was able to make a harrowing call to 999 before dying along with her sister and mother.
A family friend told MailOnline how Clifford tried to appear loving but in reality 'often mocked her during their turbulent six-month relationship'.
They said Clifford – who left the Queen's Dragoon Guards after three years – became increasingly fearful that Louise would end their relationship.
The friend said Clifford was on the back burner at the time of the murder after suddenly quitting his job at a local food supplier.
The source, who did not want to be named, said: “Kyle was controlling and made fun of Louise. In public he pretended to be a nice guy, but in private he was anything but.
Police on Ashlyn Close in Bushey, Hertfordshire, on July 10, 2024 – the day after the murder
Police search Lavender Hill cemetery in Enfield, north London, on the afternoon of July 10
Mourners attend a service at St James's Church in Bushey on July 11 after the incident
'There had been no previous incidents of violence against Louise – none that we knew of anyway – but he forced himself on her.
'It was certain things, like Louise used to like wearing make-up, but then she stopped wearing make-up – and it was down to Kyle.
'Louise had grown tired of the relationship and the constant monitoring and being told what to do.'
The friend said Louise invited Clifford to a family party last April, adding: 'She introduced him to her parents, they are lovely, lovely people and they would have loved to take him into their family.
“But there were red flags. And when Louise broke up with Kyle, I think they were very relieved.
'What happened is incomprehensible, it is terrible. They were such an incredibly sweet, friendly family. It has completely devastated the community.”
Abdul Morsli, 28, who was best friends with Hannah Hunt, believed Louise started seeing Clifford around Christmas 2023 and said: 'She was in love with him. I don't think they were together for even a year.
'Hannah was convinced they would get married one day… but there were problems with his controlling behaviour.
A sketch by Kyle Clifford, a court artist, appearing via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 17
“I think Louise was trying to keep it hidden, but I know he didn't like her staying out too late – even though they didn't live together – and he really didn't like her having male friends.”
Fighting back tears, he told how Carol and John took him in five years ago when he needed a place to stay.
He said: 'I lived with them for about three or four months when I was going through a few things and needed help.
'They invited me to their house without hesitation.
'Carol treated me like her own son, she cooked me a meal every night and John invited me to Royal Ascot two years ago.
'I've known Hannah since I was thirteen and we went to school together. She was so sweet, a truly wonderful person.
'She came from a beautiful family. They were so generous and hospitable. I can't describe how amazing they are.'
The triple murder sparked a nationwide manhunt for Clifford, who was picked up by police the next day with 'self-inflicted wounds' at a cemetery near his home in Enfield, north London.
After changing his plea today, Clifford now faces a life sentence – something his brother Bradley is already serving for mowing down and killing a teenage moped rider in a rage after his 'prized' Ford Mustang was damaged.
Clifford appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment against Louise Hunt, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons – the crossbow and the knife.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping Louise.
