Controversial computer mogul John McAfee died in a Spanish prison last week, and his cause of death has now been revealed. The New York Post reports that McAfee died by suicide, having been found hanging in the cell by officials. The outlet cited the Spanish-language newspaper El Pais as being the first to report on the autopsy results. It was also reported that McAfee had a suicide note in his pocket when prison guards found him. Details of the alleged note have not been published.
McAfee was most well-known as the creator of the McAfee anti-virus computer software. Though, his eccentric and bizarre personality also brought him much fame, as well as infamy. He was the subject of a 2016 Showtime documentary titled Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee. The film focused primarily on the portion of McAfee’s life that he spent in Belize. Prior to living in the Caribbean country, McAfee was believed to have been involved in the death of his former neighbor but was never charged with a crime.
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John McAfee died of suicide, autopsy results confirm https://t.co/Ogy3I5uejO pic.twitter.com/1Eca7kxxqj
โ New York Post (@nypost) June 28, 2021
In October, McAfee was arrested at Barcelona’s international airport, on the U.S. charges, which are still pending in Tennessee. “From 2014 to 2018, McAfee allegedly failed to file tax returns, despite receiving considerable income from these sources,” the U.S. Justice Department stated in a previous filing. Separately, McAfee was also charged in a Manhattan federal court for an alleged “pump-and-dump” scheme involving cryptocurrencies.
On Wednesday, a Spanish court ruled in a preliminary hearing that McAfee could be extradited to the United States. He was to face criminal charges the alleged tax-related crimes. Hours later, McAfee was discovered unresponsive by officials at the Brians 2 penitentiary, where he was being held in, near Barcelona.
Security personnel attempted to revive 75-year-old McAfee but were unable to. The prison’s medical team eventually certified his death. The initial statement about the death of an inmate at the prison did not specifically identify McAfee by name but did include details that were only unique to his case.
McAfee’s widow, Janice, has refuted the suicide reports and has called for a “thorough investigation” to be done. “His last words to me were ‘I love you and I will call you in the evening,” the 38-year-old told journalists. “Those words are not words of somebody who is suicidal.” Janice says that she wants authorities to give her “answers about this was able to happen.”