AN OLDER BROTHER of gangland feud murder victim Gareth Hutch confirmed to Spanish police he believes he was the intended target of a killer who mistakenly shot dad-of-three Trevor O’Neill, it emerged today.
Jonathan Hutch admitted the gunman who blasted innocent Trevor to death in front of his partner and children in a Majorcan holiday resort was probably after him when he was taken into protective police custody.
The 37-year-old, who has no involvement in the bloody Kinahan-Hutch feud which has been blamed for nearly a dozen deaths in Spain and Ireland over the past year, reportedly told officers he was not linked to violent crime.
He said he had just met the victim in the hotel he was staying in near the murder scene and had a chance meeting with him in the street moments before the Dublin City Council worker was shot, Majorcan daily Ultima Hora reported.
Hutch’s whereabouts this morning were unclear, with conflicting reports he was still at a safe house on the Spanish holiday island and others saying he had flown back to Ireland late yesterday on the same plane as O’Neill’s family.
CCTV footage
Although witnesses reported hearing three to four shots, an autopsy carried out yesterday at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the Majorcan capital Palma showed the 40-year-old man died of a single gunshot wound to the lower back.
The bullet, fired from close range, caused him severe internal injuries and although he reached Son Espases Hospital in Palma alive, he died soon after.
The Civil Guard are analysing CCTV footage said to show the hoodie-wearing killer seconds before he struck.
Officers are not thought to have any video showing the murder itself, which happened as Trevor left his hotel with his partner of 20 years Suzanne Power and their three children to go to dinner.
The gunman acted alone, although police have not ruled out the possibility he was working with accomplices who were waiting in a getaway vehicle near a beach bar a short walk from the murder scene.
Civil Guard officers have confirmed they have yet to make any arrests but have otherwise made no official comment on their investigation.
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