John McAfee To Testify About The Murder That Sent Him On The Run
McAfee is back in the public eye to clear his name
John McAfee will testify in a lawsuit looking into the murder of his neighbour and fellow US expatriate Gregory Faull, who was shot dead in Belize in the middle of November 2012.
Despite going on the run after the murder took place, McAfee has always claimed he is innocent. But the Faull’s estate continues to blame him for the death, demanding trial by jury and $75,000 in damages.
The eccentric millionaire and software expert told Reuters that he will answer any questions, as long as he doesn’t have to return to Belize. He also plans to counter-sue for defamation of character and personal injury.
Tech pioneer McAfee
As a young and talented programmer, McAfee worked for high-profile companies such as NASA, Xerox, Lockheed and CSC. He started his own business in 1987, and left it in 1994, after making an estimated $100 million fortune on anti-virus software. The company founded by McAfee is now owned by Intel, and remains the world’s largest dedicated security technology vendor.
He became a wanted man in 2012, after his neighbour was shot in the head in San Pedro Town on the island of Ambergris Caye. The police said they wanted to question McAfee, but the millionaire said that he believed Faull had been killed in error, and the murderers were in fact after McAfee.
This motivated the 67-year-old to change his appearance and go on the run, accompanied by his 20-year-old girlfriend Samantha. After hiding in Belize jungle for three weeks, McAfee crossed into neighbouring Guatemala, where he was arrested by immigration officials for entering the country illegally, and eventually deported – but to the US, not Belize.
McAfee has always maintained he had nothing to do with Faull’s death. But a lawsuit filed in California last week by Faull’s daughter alleges that he shot his neighbour, or ordered him shot. The filing also names two of McAfee’s former girlfriends as possible accomplices.
“While continuing to grieve, the Faull family intends to pursue all possible avenues to ensure the individual or individuals responsible for the death of Gregory Faull are brought to justice. They are confident that with the tools available in civil discovery cases in the US federal courts and with the information obtained in the criminal investigation in Belize, the true facts will come to light as to how and by whom Gregory Faull met his end,” wrote the family lawyer in a statement to Reuters.
McAfee has agreed to testify in the case. But he believes that authorities in Belize are corrupt, and he could be killed if he ever returns there. “The Belize police have continued to say there is no evidence whatsoever linking Mr McAfee to the death of Mr Faull. That has been their consistent statement from day one. So there is no legal basis for them getting me back. Now kidnapping, of course I’m concerned about that,” said the eccentric millionaire.
In a recent poll on TechWeekEurope, 28 percent of our readers said they would like to see John McAfee as the next CEO of Microsoft.
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