THE stepbrother of the murderer of Sevilla teenager Marta del Castillo has been released from custody, the court confirms.

Francisco Javier D.M. (pictured) was accused of helping to dump the 17-year-old’s body along with two other friends of the killer.

Marta’s ex-boyfriend Miguel, 20, confessed to killing her in January during a row at his flat in Sevilla.

He said he threw an ashtray at her, knocking her unconscious, then dumped her body in the river Guadalquivir when he believed she was dead.

Miguel then changed his story and claimed Marta’s remains were on a rubbish dump, but she has not yet been found.

His stepbrother has now been released from custody pending trial, without any requirement for bail to be paid.

The judge in charge of the case said keeping Francisco Javier behind bars for longer than the three months he has already been in jail would be ‘very exceptional’ and that ‘it is in line with the law and reasonable’ to let him go.

He says the killer’s stepbrother is only suspected of  ‘playing a minor role’ in the incident.

Francisco Javier, 40, was also said to have cleaned up the blood and other traces of evidence following Marta’s death.

The accusations against him were based on the account given by another suspect, aged 15, who claimed Francisco Javier threatened that ‘something serious would happen’ to him and his family if he implicated him.

The underage suspect remains in a youth detention centre.

A fourth suspect, Samuel B.P., 19, has called to be released from custody.

Ten people have provided an alibi for him on the night of the crime, January 24.