Elliot Mulligan’s mum Gina warned that her son’s killer would flee the country if given the chance – and he did
William Hunter, 31, was sentenced to 18 years for Elliot’s murder
A convicted killer who stabbed a 22-year-old Croxteth man to death at an Algarve luxury apartment complex has been arrested on Spain’s Costa Blanca after going on the run. William Hunter, 34, was held in Alicante and is now set to be extradited to Portugal to serve a 16-year prison sentence for the murder of his roommate, Elliot Mulligan.
Elliot was murdered in the grounds of the luxury apartment complex where he was staying in Albufeira, Portugal, on April 25 2022. Elliot was stabbed multiple times in the chest, back, arms and hands by Hunter, who was jailed for the crime in May 2023.
In April last year, Elliot’s mum Gina told the ECHO she feared Hunter would be released, as he had appealed his verdict and was being held on preventative detention.
This is a two-year holding period under Portuguese law, which expired on April 26 2024. If the court was unable to reach a decision before this date, Hunter would be allowed to walk free, and would only be recalled to prison once a decision has been made.
She said at the time: “We know that Hunter will run and flee Portugal…. He will be out and, with nothing to lose, free to commit more potentially hideous crimes.”
Hunter, who is understood to be from Northern Ireland but formerly of West Derby, is also expected to face charges over other crimes including an armed robbery at a jeweller’s in the northern Portuguese city of Esponsende at the start of 2025.
In a statement released yesterday Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria police said, without naming Hunter: “The alleged perpetrator of an armed robbery at a jewellery store in Esposende on January 21 this year was located and arrested in Alicante, Spain, with the Guardia Civil executing the European arrest warrant issued by the Court of Portimao, as part of close international judicial cooperation with counterparts in Spain and the United Kingdom.
“Following the events related to the jewellery store robbery, an investigation was launched by the PJ which culminated in the identification of the suspect, a foreign national who was believed to be in Spain.
“A European arrest warrant had been issued for him by the Portimao Court to serve a 16-year prison sentence he received for committing a homicide in the early hours of 25 April 2022 when he was with the victim at a holiday apartment complex in Albufeira.
“He has also been linked to other crimes of vehicle theft, document forgery and another robbery at a jewellery store, also in Esposende, on April 14 this year.
“The procedures for his extradition to Portugal and other steps related to the investigations conducted by this police force will follow.”
An inquest in Liverpool heard that Elliot Mulligan had been staying with Hunter, then 31, at the Correeira Luxury Residence from April 6, 2022. In the early hours of April 25, the pair got into an argument and Hunter launched a vicious attack, stabbing Elliot approximately 24 times.
Elliot managed to escape the flat by jumping from a balcony and walked several metres across the garden before collapsing. Emergency services were alerted just after 6.30am, and pronounced him dead at the scene a short time later.
Elliot Mulligan, 22, from Croxteth(Image: Gina Mulligan)
Hunter is thought to have fled Portugal after being released from prison on a technicality as he appealed the murder verdict, although local authorities have not specified why he was allowed back on the streets before he went on the run.
Gina described her son’s killer as “inhuman and evil”, saying: “We attended (the trial) as a family facing the unknown of what may happen. We had to listen to Hunter testify, showing no feeling or remorse for the crime he had committed. As Portuguese law works very differently to the UK, there was only one court day every few weeks which meant us travelling back and forth to Portugal as we were there to represent Elliot.
“At each court appearance Hunter again failed to show any remorse for his actions, looking out of windows, stretching, and yawning as if bored, denying any involvement in a crime he intentionally committed. He can only be described as inhuman and evil. There were times where he would maintain fixed eye contact with us.”
Hunter is believed to have been sentenced initially to 18 years in prison for Elliot’s murder. Portuguese court officials could not be reached today to explain why police were describing the prison sentence he had to serve as a 16-year stretch and whether it had been reduced on appeal.
Mural to Elliot Mulligan on Croxdale Road West, Liverpool.
At an inquest into Elliot’s death in October 2023, a tribute from his mum was read aloud by the coroner, Andre Rebello. He said: “That night caused unimaginable trauma to the family. The events that followed were so devastating that Elliot’s grandfather passed away only two weeks later. Not only had Elliot left a huge void in the family’s life, their hearts were forever broken.
“Elliot was a gentle soul. He loved to laugh, loved to party. His smile will never be forgotten. Life will never again be the same.”
Mr Rebello went on to hand down a conclusion of unlawful killing, telling Elliot’s family: “The quality of life is not measured in time, it’s measured in love. The 22 years of Elliot’s life was filled with happy loving moments, and the person responsible for his death cannot take the love you have given away from you, or the love you received from Elliot.”
Elliot’s body was repatriated to Liverpool following his death, and he was laid to rest at Anfield Crematorium on May 30, 2022. A rainbow mural was painted in his memory on Croxdale Road West, while family and friends paid tribute online.