Man accused of hiring hit man to kill family before 'turning the tables' and killing gunman

An American who killed a man who murdered his family is now accused of hiring the 22-year-old to gun them down.

Kentucky resident Ryan Champion, 36, boasted that he "turned the tables" on 22-year-old Vito Riservato after he shot and killed Champion's parents and sister last month.

The four bodies were all found with gunshots wounds at the Champion family home in Cadiz, western Kentucky.

But Commonwealth Attorney GL Ovey said Champion hired Riservato for a murder-for-hire plot that "didn't end up that way", the AP reports.

"In a murder for hire, he would've got paid, but (Riservato) was murdered," Mr Ovey said, adding the commonwealth will be seeking the death penalty for Champion.

Mr Ovey would not speculate about Champion's motives for the alleged killing of his family.

In the days following the quadruple murder, Champion did several interviews in which he bragged he had "turned the tables" on Riservato, who he said burst into the home and started shooting.

Before his arrest on October 31, Champion wrote on Facebook that he was recovering from the attack and looking for odd jobs and money to cover his bills.

He was charged with one count of murder, three counts of complicity to commit murder and one count of complicity to commit kidnapping.

Champion will appear in court again in December.