Newsdeck

Newsdeck

Spanish court rules software mogul McAfee’s death was suicide

Spanish court rules software mogul McAfee’s death was suicide
US software mogul John McAfee is seen inside a vehicle of the Guatemalan Migration heading towards the airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala, 12 December 2012 (reissued 05 March 2021). John McAfee and his executive adviser Jimmy Gale Watson jr. were indicted for fraud and money laundering conspiracy crimes over their alleged fraudulent promotion to investors of cryptocurrencies the US Department of Justice announced on 05 March 2021. EPA-EFE/Saul Martinez

A Spanish court has ruled John McAfee committed suicide, a court document seen by Reuters showed on Friday, bringing to a close a probe about the death of the software entrepreneur.

McAfee, who launched the world’s first commercial anti-virus software in 1987, was found dead, aged 75, on June 23, 2021, in his prison cell a few hours after Spain’s high court authorised his extradition to the United States on tax evasion charges.

The British-American tech mogul had been in the Barcelona-area Brians 2 jail for eight months following his arrest after years on the run from U.S. authorities.

Although the autopsy had already determined he died by suicide, his family had filed an appeal asking for a more in-depth investigation into his death.

His body has been in a Barcelona morgue, waiting for the court process to be resolved.

“There is not a single element of suspicion, of a charge against a third party, of criminal behaviour,” said the ruling, dated July 24 but released on Friday.

His family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ruling can’t be appealed before an ordinary court.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Anil D’Silva)

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

[%% img-description %%]

The Spy Bill: An autocratic roadmap to State Capture 2.0

Join Heidi Swart in conversation with Anton Harber and Marianne Merten as they discuss a concerning push to pass a controversial “Spy Bill” into law by May 2024. Tues 5 Dec at 12pm, live, online and free of charge.

A South African Hero: You

There’s a 99.8% chance that this isn’t for you. Only 0.2% of our readers have responded to this call for action.

Those 0.2% of our readers are our hidden heroes, who are fuelling our work and impacting the lives of every South African in doing so. They’re the people who contribute to keep Daily Maverick free for all, including you.

The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.

Be part of that 0.2%. Be a Maverick. Be a Maverick Insider.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options