Controversial Antivirus Pioneer John McAfee Commits Suicide in Spanish Prison

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Colorful, controversial 74-year-old antivirus pioneer John McAfee was found dead in a Spanish prison of apparent suicide as he awaited extradition to the U.S. to face tax evasion and security charges. McAfee took his life hours after Spain’s high court, the Audiencia Nacional, agreed to his extradition to America to stand trial.

McAfee got his big break in 1992 when he gained celebrity for an antivirus program he developed, which McAfee heavily promoted as a solution to one of the first pieces of computer malware, the Michelangelo virus. After selling his company for an estimated $100 million fortune, McAfee launched years of publicized antics and controversy, which included sexual assault and murder allegations. In October of 2020, authorities arrested McAfee in Spain on his way to Istanbul. (Iain Thomson / The Register)

Related: Decrypt, Courthouse News Service, USA Today, Wired