The Mcafee Saga: A Fugitive's Trail In Belize

John McAfee, the British-American founder of McAfee Associates, moved to Belize in 2008, where he lived for several years. However, he returned to the United States in 2013 while wanted in Belize for questioning on suspicion of the murder of his neighbour, Gregory Faull.

John McAfee's life and death

John McAfee, the British-American computer programmer, businessman, and two-time presidential candidate, led a tumultuous life that ended in an apparent suicide in a Spanish prison cell.

Born in 1945 on a U.S. Army base in Gloucestershire, England, McAfee had a difficult childhood marked by an abusive, alcoholic father who died by suicide when McAfee was 15. Despite this, McAfee excelled academically, receiving a bachelor's degree in mathematics and later working as a programmer for NASA. He then moved into the tech industry, working for companies like Univac, Xerox, and Computer Sciences Corporation.

In 1987, McAfee created the first commercial anti-virus software, founding McAfee Associates to sell his creation. By the early 1990s, he was making an estimated $5 million a year, but his fortunes took a turn when he resigned from his company in 1994 and sold his remaining stake.

After founding several other companies and investing in various ventures, McAfee moved to Belize in 2009, where he became embroiled in controversy. He was suspected of manufacturing methamphetamines and was arrested for unlicensed drug manufacturing and possession of an unlicensed weapon. However, he was never convicted of drug crimes and was later released.

In 2012, McAfee became a person of interest in the murder investigation of his neighbour, Gregory Faull. He fled Belize, claiming he was running for his life, and became a fugitive, eventually making his way back to the United States. In Belize, he was also accused of drugging and sexually assaulting his business partner, Allison Adonizio, and ordering the murders of Belizean David Middleton and American expat Gregory Faull.

Back in the US, McAfee continued to court controversy, with civil lawsuits, DUI charges, and firearm possession charges. He also made two unsuccessful bids for the presidency in 2016 and 2020 as a Libertarian, campaigning for wider cryptocurrency use and the decriminalisation of cannabis, among other things.

In 2020, McAfee was arrested in Spain on tax evasion charges. He was jailed in Barcelona, awaiting extradition to the US. On 23 June 2021, shortly after the Spanish National Court authorised his extradition, McAfee was found dead in his prison cell, with his death ruled as suicide by hanging. However, the circumstances of his death sparked speculation and conspiracy theories, fuelled by a 2019 tweet in which he said, "If I suicide myself, I didn't. I was whackd."

Belize murder allegations

John McAfee, the British-American creator of the first commercial anti-virus software, was found dead in a Spanish prison in June 2021, just hours after a court approved his extradition to the US on tax evasion charges. He was 75.

McAfee's death came nine years after he was embroiled in murder allegations in Belize. In 2012, McAfee was accused of murdering his neighbour, Gregory Faull, in the wealthy tourist enclave of Ambergris Caye, Belize, where he owned a mansion. Faull, a 52-year-old retired Florida restaurateur, was known to be impatient with McAfee's dogs, which were left unleashed and threatening as Faull wandered past them to reach his favourite beach bar every evening. When the animals turned up dead one day, Faull was the prime suspect. But when Faull was found dead a day later, with a 9mm bullet casing nearby, it was McAfee who became the key "person of interest" in the case.

McAfee, however, did not wait to clear his name. He fled the country, later admitting that running probably made him look guilty. But he claimed he was not running from arrest, but for his life, convinced that the murder of Faull was a failed hit on him by one of his enemies. He became a fugitive, accompanied by his 20-year-old girlfriend, Samantha, and a documentary crew from Vice Magazine.

In 2019, Faull's daughter filed a "wrongful death" lawsuit against McAfee, and he was ordered to pay Faull's family $25 million. He never did.

McAfee's time in Guatemala

John McAfee's time in Guatemala was short-lived but eventful. After fleeing Belize, where he was wanted for questioning over the murder of his neighbour, McAfee crossed the border into Guatemala and checked into a five-star hotel in Guatemala City. He was soon arrested for illegally entering the country and sought political asylum, fearing for his safety if he returned to Belize.

McAfee's location was accidentally revealed by journalists from Vice Magazine, who were travelling with him. They published a photo taken with an iPhone, which included location metadata.

While in Guatemala, McAfee faked two heart attacks to buy time for his lawyers to file appeals against deportation. He was eventually released and deported to the United States.

Back in the US, McAfee launched two unsuccessful bids to become President, in 2016 and 2020.

McAfee's arrest in Spain

John McAfee, the British-American founder of the anti-virus software company McAfee, was arrested in Spain on 5 October 2020. The arrest was made at Barcelona's El Prat airport, where McAfee was attempting to board a flight to Istanbul.

McAfee was arrested on charges of tax evasion, having failed to file income tax returns from 2014 to 2018, despite earning millions during this period. The US Department of Justice alleged that McAfee had evaded his tax liability by accepting payments through bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchange accounts that were set up in other people's names. He was also accused of acquiring assets, including real estate and a yacht, using other people's identities.

In addition to the tax evasion charges, McAfee was also accused of promoting certain initial coin offerings (ICOs) in a fraudulent cryptocurrency pump-and-dump scheme. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint alleging that McAfee had presented himself as an impartial investor when promoting the ICOs, despite being paid $23 million in digital assets in return.

Following his arrest, McAfee was held in custody in Barcelona, pending his extradition to the United States. On 23 June 2021, the Spanish National Court authorized his extradition to face charges in Tennessee. However, just hours after the authorization, McAfee was found dead in his prison cell, with his death ruled as a suicide by hanging.

The Netflix documentary

Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee

The documentary follows McAfee's life from his birth on an American air force base in Gloucestershire, England, in 1945, to his death in a Spanish prison in 2021. It covers his career as a programmer at NASA, his founding of the antivirus software company McAfee, and his eventual descent into drugs, alcohol, and a life of hedonism.

A significant focus of the documentary is McAfee's time in Belize, where he owned a mansion on Ambergris Caye beach. McAfee claimed to have been targeted by the Belizean police and was arrested for unlicensed drug manufacturing and possession of an unlicensed weapon. He was also a person of interest in the unsolved murder of his neighbour, Gregory Faull. McAfee fled Belize rather than cooperate with the investigation, becoming a fugitive with a documentary crew from Vice Magazine in tow.

The documentary covers McAfee's escape to Guatemala, where he was arrested for illegally entering the country and then deported back to the United States after faking a heart attack. Back in the US, McAfee continued his erratic behaviour, running for president twice and joining the cryptocurrency gold rush.

In 2019, McAfee was on the run again, this time from the US government, due to charges of tax evasion and a fraudulent crypto "pump and dump" scheme. He was arrested in Spain in 2020 and resided in a prison in Barcelona until his extradition to the US was approved in 2021. Hours after the extradition was approved, McAfee was found dead in his prison cell, with his death ruled a suicide. However, the circumstances of his death remain controversial, with some, including his ex-wife, believing that he was murdered.

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