John McAfee, the infamous McAfee Antivirus software creator, died of an apparent suicide in his cell in Centre Penitenciari Brians 2, a Spanish prison located in Barcelona, Spain. His death comes just hours after the Spain High Court approved McAfee’s extradition to the United States. The 75-year old tech magnate was known for his eccentric personality and political activism and was facing tax evasion charges that, if convicted, could lead to a 30-year sentence.
John McAfee dead at 75
Spanish publication El País was the first to break the story. According to the report, the cause of death hasn’t been definitively established yet. McAfee was found dead in his cell in Brians 2 prison. He had been held there since his October 3, 2020 arrest at El Prat airport in Barcelona.
The arrest itself was made at the request of the U.S. government who had issued a warrant on the grounds of tax evasion (mostly centering around his cryptocurrency profits). McAfee, an outspoken Libertarian, had been quoted as stating he believed that taxes were illegal and claimed to have last filed a return in 2010. His death comes just hours after the confirmation that his extradition had been authorized.
Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: "We're coming for you McAfee! We're going to kill yourself". I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn't. I was whackd. Check my right arm.$WHACKD available only on https://t.co/HdSEYi9krq🙂 pic.twitter.com/rJ0Vi2Hpjj
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) November 30, 2019
As befitting his eccentricity, some are claiming McAfee’s death was the result of malicious action. One of his tweets from 2019 is making the rounds that states:
“Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: “We’re coming for you McAfee! We’re going to kill yourself”. I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn’t. I was whackd. Check my right arm.
$WHACKD available only on http://McAfeedex.com:)”
Alongside this message is the image of a McAfee’s right arm sporting a new tattoo that reads “$WHACKED.”
The above is only one of several tweets McAfee made stating that if he died of any apparent suicide that he was actually assassinated. Despite his controversial history, McAfee is venerated by certain groups who are making their doubts known already.
