The software developer John McAfee was in Spanish prison for tax evasion and was supposed to be extradited to the United States. Now he was found dead in his cell.
According to media reports, software developer and antivirus pioneer John McAfee was found dead in a Spanish prison.
Reliable Spanish media such as El País, El Mundo and La Vanguardia reported that the corpse of the 75-year-old multimillionaire from the USA was discovered on Wednesday afternoon in a cell in Brains 2 detention center about 30 kilometers northwest of Barcelona on the judicial authorities and the police of Catalonia. A prison spokesman confirmed this information upon request.
McAfee, who was accused in his home country of tax evasion, fraud with cryptocurrencies and conspiracy to launder money, was arrested at El Prat Airport in Barcelona last October at the instigation of the US authorities. He has since been behind bars near the Catalan capital. It was only on Wednesday that the Spanish judiciary gave the green light for an extradition of McAfee to the USA.
The cause of death has not yet been determined beyond doubt, it said. According to media reports, the authorities assume suicide. An autopsy should bring certainty. The anti-virus guru could face years of imprisonment and heavy fines if convicted in the USA.
McAfee founded the anti-virus software company McAfee named after him in the 1980s. He retired from the company in the 1990s. In 2012, McAfee made headlines in Belize, Central America, when he was searched for after murdering his neighbor and fled the police through the jungle.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
