Antivirus Founder John McAfee On The Run In Belize After Rival's Murder

Antivirus Founder John McAfee On The Run In Belize After Rival's Murder

The founder of anti-virus software giant McAfee is on the run from police after his neighbour was murdered.

John McAfee, 67, is a 'person of interest' in the killing of American expatriate Gregory Faull.

Faull was found dead in a pool of blood at his home in San Pedro Town, on Ambergris Caye island, on Saturday, by his housekeeper. Police said he had been shot in the head.

John McAfee, who does not now work for the company which bears his name, denies any responsibility - and claims he hid in a hole in the sand with a cardboard box over his head so he could breathe while police searched his house.

"It was extraordinarily uncomfortable. But they will kill me if they find me," he told Wired.

In the interview with Wired, in which he is pictured holding a rifle, McAfee added that he is afraid police will kill him if he is found.

McAfee had apparently been involved in a dispute with the man for some time, and a complaint had been filed against him as recently as last week accusing the software pioneer of "roguish behaviour".

Marco Vidal, head of the Gang Suppression Unit in Belize, said that McAfee is a "prime suspect", according to Gizmodo. The Gawker Media website, which has led much of the coverage of the incident, said the dispute between the two men involved a pack of dogs that McAfee kept in his beachside compound - which he said were poisoned on Friday.

"The coast guard dropped off a contingent of black-suited thugs at 10:30 tonight at the dock next door," McAfee told Wired. "They dispersed on the beach. A half hour later all of my dogs had been poisoned. Mellow, Lucky, Dipsy, and Guerrero have already died."

Marco Vidal, the head of Belize's Gang Suppression Unit, denied these claims, and said McAfee "amazes me every day" while confirming he is a suspect in the murder.

The software company he founded was bought by Intel in 2011 for about £5bn, but John McAfee is no longer involved in its operation and in 2009 the New York Times said his fortune had declined from about $100m to less than $4m.

In recent years McAfee (the man) has led an increasingly bizarre life, attempting among other things to found a company to produce all natural antibiotics through "anti-quorum sensing technology".

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