Date Published: 27/03/2025

French suspect arrested for murder of American priest in Malaga

The 40-year-old was caught in Seville after an international warrant was issued for his arrest

On Tuesday March 25, Spanish police arrested a French man suspected of murdering an American priest while he was on holiday in Malaga earlier this year. The 40-year-old, who was detained in Seville, allegedly committed the offence with an accomplice, a 27-year-old North African man.

The victim, a priest from the United States, was attacked on Monday 21 January after getting out of a taxi near his accommodation. Investigators say “the two detainees began following him” until he reached the apartment, where he was staying in the centre of the capital of the Costa del Sol. As he was about to enter, one of the men allegedly approached him suddenly while the other acting as a lookout, "provided cover for his accomplice."

According to police, the priest resisted, but the attacker used significant force to overpower him and "compressed his airways until he died." The autopsy later confirmed that he died from "mechanical asphyxiation by suffocation." The two suspects then fled with the victim's suitcase and other belongings.

The police have spent weeks piecing together what happened, "viewing of a huge amount of images captured by some 80 cameras in establishments and those of the Málaga City Council."

After identifying the suspect, a judge issued a European arrest warrant, which led to his capture in Seville this week. Both men are now in pre-trial detention as investigations continue.

Image: Jesuits USA East

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