Suspect in John George murder case shot dead in Torrevieja

The Czech national was previously released on bail in connection with the Rojales murder, and has now been killed in a late-night shooting

A 33-year-old Czech man, Michael Maly, who had previously been arrested on suspicion of being connected with the murder of Northern Irishman John George, was killed in the early hours of March 1 in the Rocío del Mar area of Rojales. A neighbour raised the alarm at around 1.30am after spotting a man lying in the street with a serious head wound on Calle Pleamar. 

Emergency services attended the scene and paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead. The Guardia Civil has confirmed that no arrests have yet been made in relation to this latest shooting and all lines of investigation remain open.

Maly had previously been arrested as part of the investigation into the death of John George, whose body was discovered under a lemon tree in Rojales in January 2025. He had been released on provisional bail and was subject to precautionary measures, including surrendering his passport, reporting to court every 15 days and remaining in Spain.

Earlier this year, lawyers representing John George’s family requested that he be remanded in custody following forensic analysis of blood found on the number plates seized from his vehicle. According to sources close to the case, the tests indicated the blood belonged to John George. The investigating court, however, decided to maintain the existing bail conditions.

Sources have previously stated that Michael M.’s cooperation helped investigators locate John George’s body. He had denied involvement in the killing and said his only connection to the case was a recent friendship with the main suspect.

Following this latest fatal shooting, the only remaining person under formal investigation in the John George case is Jonathan Alan Smyth. The Northern Irish national was arrested in Portugal last year after an international manhunt and later extradited to Spain. He is accused of being the principal suspect in the killing of John George.

Investigators believe he was one of the last people to see John George alive. He has denied the allegations. After spending several months in custody, he was released from Villena prison in December 2025 on €100,000 bail. A judge ruled at the time that, although there was sufficient evidence for the homicide charge to remain active, strict pre-trial detention was no longer considered necessary. He remains on bail as the case continues towards trial.

The investigation into both deaths is ongoing.

Image 1: Family handout
Image 2: Facebook