Man suspected of killing family dies in hospital

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A Paradise Hills man suspected of killing his
estranged wife and two young children before injuring himself died in a
hospital early Thursday, police said.

Clarence Blunt, 55, died at Paradise Valley Hospital early this morning,
according to San Diego police.

Officers found a critically injured Blunt after going to his family's
home in the 2400 block of Luther Street on Sunday, Lt. Ernie Herbert said,
adding that Blunt had attempted suicide.

Also found in the home was Blunt's estranged 33-year-old wife, Lilly,
and children Linna Blunt, 3, and Richard Blunt, 7 months. Herbert said all
three were the victims of homicide.

How they were killed was not immediately released. A county coroner
official said this morning that records in the case have been sealed.

Police were called to the family's home at 5:50 p.m. Sunday by an
extended family member who reported that attempts to contact anyone at the home
in southeastern San Diego near National City had been unsuccessful.

Court records showed Lilly Blunt filed for divorce from her husband on
Aug. 3., citing irreconcilable differences. She also obtained a restraining
order against him, claiming he hit and threatened her, drained their bank
accounts and got her fired from her job as a hospital nurse with false theft
allegations.

Lilly Blunt's sister, Kim Thuy Nguyen, told U-T San Diego that the
victim was persuaded over the weekend by her husband to meet with him and some
members of his church to try marriage reconciliation.

Clarence Blunt's extensive criminal past has been widely reported since
his wife and children were found slain.

In 1973, a then-17-year-old Blunt was convicted of killing a parking lot
attendant with a hatchet. He was incarcerated from 1975 to 1984, when he was
paroled.

He also had robbery, burglary and theft convictions, as well as domestic
violence cases filed against him, and spent additional time in and out of
jail, U-T San Diego reported. It was unclear whether any of those previous
domestic violence cases involved Lilly Blunt.

Court records showed Clarence Blunt suffered from a personality
disorder, and was abused and neglected as a child. Earlier this week, National
City police said he was a suspect, but never charged, is two cold case murders:
one involving the 1974 stabbing death of a 7-Eleven clerk and the other, the
1989 death of Blunt's then-girlfriend Gertrude Richardson, who was also
stabbed.