Jade Monaghan and Joanne Lyons have launched private legal action against the suspected hitman accused of killing their husbands at a Fuengirola pub, according to reports from SUR in English and The Scottish Sun. The widows of Eddie Lyons Jr and Ross Monaghan instructed Spanish lawyers to prosecute Michael Riley under the country’s acusación particular mechanism following the double shooting on May 31, 2025.
Legal Mechanism and Court Timeline
Under Spanish law, crime victims and their relatives can exercise a constitutional right to join criminal proceedings as a private prosecution, according to SUR in English. This parallel legal action runs alongside state proceedings, allowing private legal counsel to submit separate indictments, request alternative prison sentences or compensation levels, and question defendants directly in court. An investigating judge in Fuengirola is leading the ongoing judicial probe before deciding whether to formally indict Riley. Court sources cited by SUR in English confirmed that any eventual trial will be tried by a nine-member jury, as required for murder charges under Spanish law, though proceedings are not expected to begin until 2027 at the earliest.
Extradition and Cartel Connections
Michael Riley, originally from Liverpool, is currently held in Teixeiro prison in Galicia following his extradition from the United Kingdom, as reported by SUR in English. Law enforcement in Spain previously claimed that Riley had connections to a rival Scottish criminal faction and intended to escape to a tax haven when he was detained in Liverpool in June 2025. Prior to his transfer to Galicia, Riley was held at Alhaurín de la Torre prison near Malaga. That transfer preceded the extradition to Spain of Steven Lyons, who is the brother of victim Eddie Lyons Jr. Arrested in Amsterdam during April 2025 as part of Operation Arborum—a joint initiative focusing on the Lyons faction and its ties to the Kinahan cartel—Steven Lyons was apprehended, as reported by SUR in English. The authorities are continuing their probes into broader money laundering and organised crime accusations concerning seven additional suspects detained in Spain.
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