LONDON: A 26-year-old man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack was found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, by a British court on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had pleaded guilty in January to the murder of two daughters of a BBC sports commentator and their mother in their home in Bushey, northwest of London in July 2024.
The killings had sparked a manhunt for Clifford, who was found hours later injured in a cemetery in north London.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court in eastern England on Thursday found Clifford guilty of raping one of the daughters, his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt, 25, before he killed her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is expected on Tuesday.
Clifford admitted murdering Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and two of their daughters, Louise and Hannah, 28.
He had pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one of false imprisonment, and two of possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
In the resulting trial, the court heard that after he stabbed Carol Hunt to death, Clifford “lay in wait” for an hour for Louise, before tying, raping and then killing her with a crossbow.
He then killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution accused Clifford, a former soldier, of committing a “violent, sexual act of spite.”
He had become “enraged” after Louise ended their 18-month relationship, the court heard, and had “carefully planned” the attack.
According to the prosecution, Clifford searched for a podcast by misogynistic social media influencer Andrew Tate less than 24 hours before the killings.
The prosecution said the murders were fueled by the “violent misogyny promoted” by Tate.
The judge, Justice Joel Bennathan, said Clifford’s crimes were “dreadful” and were “almost unspeakable.”