A CZECH man accused of being an accomplice in the murder of John George was shot dead in Torrevieja early on Sunday morning.

Michael Maly, 33, had been out on bail since January 2025 when Mr. George’s body was discovered in an olive grove in Rojales.

His last appearance before a Torrevieja court was on February 20.

JOHN GEORGE

The Guardia Civil are investigating the killing and have so far made no arrests.

Maly’s murder happened in the Rocio del Mar area of Torrevieja- a residential zone that’s close to the sea.

A resident raised the alarm at around 1.30am after seeing him lying in the street with blood pouring out of his head.

There were apparently no witnesses to the crime.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate Maly, but without success.

The Guardia Civil combed the crime scene for clues, but no further details have been disclosed.

John George’s family reported him missing in mid-December 2024 after he went on holiday to the Orihuela Costa, where he stayed with Jonny Smyth, 27.

Mr. George’s body was found on January 7 last year with the 37-year-old Belfast father-of-two stripped naked and stabbed in the legs to disable him before being shot twice.

Smyth- from County Antrim- was arrested for the murder in Portugal last March and released from custody by a Torrevieja court on a €100,000 bond in December.

His bail conditions included a one-kilometre distancing order to prevent him approaching anybody else involved in the case.

SMYTH WITH WIFE MADISON

Sources close to the investigation told the Informacion newspaper that Michael Maly’s collaboration was vital in clarifying what happened to John George and locating his body.

He had told police that his only connection to what happened was a friendship that he had struck up with Jonny Smyth.

Maly however admitted that on one occasion, he drove George to Smyth’s home in Cabo Roig to pick up some personal belongings.

The Guardia Civil reportedly found John George’s blood on licence plates seized from Maly’s car.

Jonny Smyth’s lawyers have queried Maly’s statements that he claimed to know virtually nothing about John George.

They’ve accused him of being the last person to see him alive.
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