BBC Racing radio commentator John Hunt wants people to appreciate life following the crossbow killing of three of his family members.
On the evening of Tuesday, July 9, Hunt’s wife, Carol, 61, and two of their daughters, Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were killed by a man with a crossbow in a home in Bushey, England.
Kyle Clifford, 26, has since been arrested and is in a serious condition in hospital, the Associated Press reported on Friday, July 12.
Matt Chapman, Hunt’s friend and fellow horse racing commentator, told the BBC in a story published Tuesday, July 16 that he’d spoken to him following the incident and passed along some of his words.
“He told me: ‘Matty, the message I would tell everyone is you never know when it’s going to be the last day you see your family,’ ” Chapman said.
“The message was very clear: make the most of every day because you just don’t know,” he added.
A GoFundMe page that’s being managed by Chapman has so far raised more than $60,000 to help Hunt and his surviving daughter, Amy.
“Family means more to some than others and for John, his family unit was something he absolutely adored,” Chapman told the BBC.
He added that Hunt had told him his “biggest desire” was to make sure Amy had “no money worries for the rest of her life.”
“There are a lot of people, including myself, who feel helpless and would like to do something,” Chapman continued to tell the outlet.
“John would like nothing more for Amy after these horrific events than a life that is a little less stressful, because life will never be stress-free again,” Chapman continued.
“It’s not going to take their grief away — it’s not going to take the pain away or change anything — but it might help them have an easier life,” he added.
On Saturday, July 13, Hunt and his daughter released a statement shared on Facebook by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
“The devastation that we are experiencing cannot be put into words,” they said.
“We would like to thank people for their kind messages and for the support we have received in recent days. These have provided great comfort to us for which we are very grateful,” the statement added.
“As you can imagine, this is an extremely difficult time for us, and we need time and space to come to terms with what has happened and start the grieving process. While this is happening, we would ask that our privacy and that of our wider family and relations be respected at this time. Thank you,” they concluded.
