Judge names reason for John McAfee’s death
More than seven months after his death, a Spanish court ruled late last week that cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee took his own life in jail, according to a MarketWatch report. His widow has reportedly appealed the ruling, insisting McAfee was murdered.
The decision, made by a judge in the city of Martorell, confirmed the findings of the original autopsy report into McAfee’s death. The 75-year-old was found hanging in his cell at the ‘Centre Penitenciari Brians 2’ jail in Barcelona on June 23 – hours after his extradition to the US on fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion charges was approved.
His widow, Janice McAfee, who is thought to still be in Spain, immediately appealed the decision to a higher court, a lawyer involved in the case told MarketWatch. Joy Athanasiou, a lawyer for McAfee’s daughter – identified only as Jen – told the financial news site that there was no timetable yet on when the higher court would rule on the appeal.
“At this point, we don’t really know much aside from the ruling. It’s been a long, strange process,” Athanasiou told MarketWatch. She could also not provide any indication as to when McAfee’s body might be transferred from the prison morgue, where it has remained since his death.
McAfee – a US national who founded antivirus firm McAfee Corp – had been imprisoned in Spain since October 2020 on US federal charges. His death generated controversy and speculation after his widow claimed the US government was behind it and alleged that a “cover up” was taking place.
Prior to his death, McAfee had repeatedly claimed that he would be killed in prison. He had a tattoo of the word “whackd” inked on his arm and tweeted in October 2020 that if he were to “hang [him]self, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of [his].” These comments fueled theories that played up the similarities between the jail cell deaths of McAfee and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
An alleged suicide note had been found inside McAfee’s pocket, in which he apparently described himself as a “phantom parasite” without a future. Claiming the handwriting was suspect, Janice McAfee shared the note online, adding to suspicion about his death. However, his daughter has maintained that the writing was her father’s and claims he was suicidal in his last days.
