Updated 2403_1632hrs. A British man has been remanded in custody over the execution-style murder of 33-year-old Czech national Michael Maly, who was shot in the head on Torrevieja’s Rocío de Mar beach in a killing investigators believe may be linked to the earlier murder of Northern Irishman John George in Rojales.
Guardia Civil officers arrested the 40-year-old suspect, a resident of Torre Pacheco in the Murcia region, on March 17 in the car park of Corvera International Airport as he was allegedly preparing to flee Spain. Officers said they found suitcases, clothing and his passport in the boot of his vehicle, strengthening suspicions that he was about to leave the country.
The suspect, who has previous convictions for assault and illegal possession of firearms, was brought before a judge and ordered to be held on remand while the investigation continues. On the same day as the arrest, officers also located a vehicle linked to the crime in La Nucía, Alicante.
The killing happened on March 1, when a couple walking their dog discovered Maly lying on the ground with a serious head wound on Rocío de Mar beach, in Punta Prima. Emergency services rushed him to Torrevieja University Hospital, but he later died. Medical examinations confirmed he had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
The investigation, launched under Operation Utes, was initially handled by officers from Torrevieja and then passed to the Homicide Team of the Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police in Alicante, who quickly focused on the Torre Pacheco man.
Maly was no stranger to investigators. He was one of two men accused in the murder of Northern Irishman John George, whose body was found dumped on a lemon farm in Rojales in January 2025. Maly had been on provisional release for more than a year and had recently appeared in court as judges considered whether new evidence justified sending him back to prison over George’s death.
During earlier proceedings, Maly reportedly made statements to a judge linking Northern Irish suspect Jonathan Alan Smyth to John George’s murder and claimed he had received death threats. Smyth, described as a key suspect in the Rojales case, was arrested in Alicante with weapons but later released on provisional bail.
Although early lines of inquiry suggest Maly’s murder may not have been ordered solely to prevent him from testifying in the John George case, investigators are examining whether the two cases are connected. Police also believe others may have been involved in the Torrevieja shooting and further arrests have not been ruled out.
The Orihuela Costa area has been shaken in recent months by a series of violent incidents involving British nationals, with investigators exploring possible links to organised crime and drug-related score-settling.
In one attack, a young Englishman was killed. In another, a British man narrowly escaped death, fled the country, and has since been ordered jailed.
The same Torrevieja court now handling the investigation into Maly’s murder is also overseeing the John George case, with the proceedings currently under judicial secrecy.
SEE ALSO:
John George Murder: TORREVIEJA Killing Sparks Probe Into ‘Liverpool Gun-For-Hire’
Bloody Feud In Torrevieja As Man Accused Of Rojales Murder Shot Dead
