A man is charged with murder over crossbow attack near London that killed 3 women

LONDON -

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A man appeared in a London court Tuesday charged with killing three women in a knife and crossbow attack near London in July. The suspect, who was discovered seriously injured in a cemetery after the attack, was ordered held in pre-trial detention.

Kyle Clifford, 26, faces three murder charges over the deaths of 61-year-old Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah Hunt, 28, and Louise Hunt, 25. The victims were the wife and daughters of John Hunt, a well-known sports broadcaster.

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The three women were found fatally injured at the family home in Bushey, just north of London, on July 9.

Prosecutor David Burns told a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court that police were called by Hannah Hunt, who said she, her mother and her sister had been shot and that “she fears that she was going to die."

Officers arrived at the house and found that Louise and Hannah Hunt had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.

Clifford is also charged with possession of offensive weapons -- a crossbow and a 10-inch (22-centimetre) butcher's knife -- and with false imprisonment. Prosecutors said that charge relates to allegations he "assaulted and unlawfully and injuriously imprisoned Louise Hunt" by tying her up.

Clifford was captured and arrested after a major search operation, but police were unable to interview him for weeks after as he was hospitalized with an injury.

The suspect appeared in court by video link on Tuesday, and a judge ordered he be detained as he awaits trial. No trial date was set because authorities are working to find a court where he can be tried as a wheelchair user.

"Although it has taken some time to reach this stage, we can now move forward with the judicial process and seek justice for their family," Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner said.

John Hunt is a veteran horse-racing commentator for the BBC and Sky Sports, his voice known to millions through his coverage of races including the Grand National. He and his surviving daughter Amy said after the killings that “the devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words.”