Police have released further details following the arrest of a wanted British murderer in Spain.
After evading justice for 17 months, William Hunter, 34, was arrested in September while leaving a property in Benidorm with packed suitcases.
In a frenzied attack in April 2022, Hunter stabbed 22-year-old Elliot Mulligan a total of 24 times inside the apartment they shared in Albufeira, Portugal, before going on the run.
READ MORE: Weapon of war used been child hitman in Fuengirola is revealed
It has now emerged Hunter adopted the alias ‘Dean Brennan’, the same name as an Irish ex-footballer.
A killer hiding in plain sight
The fugitive reinvented himself completely and drifted between Malaga and Alicante, and relied on the anonymity of the British expat crowd.
For months he lived out of rented flats under false identities, drove cars booked in other people’s names, and kept moving to stay ahead of the law.
But his downfall came not through the murder case, but by chance. Police investigating a car-theft ring using fake licence plates stumbled upon him in southern Spain.
When officers attempted to stop him during an operation in Nerja, he allegedly tried to run them down before escaping — confirming suspicions they were dealing with a dangerous, unpredictable man.
From Nerja to Benidorm
After a brief spell in hiding along the Malaga coast, the fugitive resurfaced in Benidorm, renting a luxury apartment with sweeping views of the bay for €1,300 a month.
The location gave him perfect sightlines over the entrances to the development, which was a deliberate choice, police believe, to avoid being surprised by a raid.
A special Guardia Civil team moved in when he finally left the flat.
This time, though, he didn’t fight back. Officers seized him quietly outside the building, finding no weapons or identification – only his fake name and a few mobile phones believed to hold vital evidence.
Violence and flight
Portuguese investigators say Hunter’s victim, Mulligan, had tried to escape through a window after being attacked with a kitchen knife inside their shared apartment, but died shortly after from massive blood loss. The scene also contained hidden drugs, adding a possible criminal motive.
After his arrest in Portugal, the suspect managed to slip away during court proceedings and fled the country, triggering a Europe-wide manhunt that eventually led to Spain.
He now remains behind bars in Alicante under preventive custody, awaiting extradition to Portugal to face a murder charge.
Read more Costa del Sol news at the Spanish Eye.
