John McAfee, software developer and founder of the McAfee antivirus company, is currently on the run in Belize after being sought for questioning regarding the murder of his neighbor. McAfee contacted Wired magazine to profess his innocence. He said he is worried that he is being framed.
McAfee, initially reported as a prime suspect for the murder of American expatriate Gregory Faull, is on the run and wanted for questioning by Belize police, Reuters reports. Police in Belize said that McAfee was a "person of interest," not a suspect, at this time, Reuters reports.
The software developer spoke with Wired magazine's Joshua Davis via phone on Monday, saying that he knows "nothing" about the murder and is worried that the killer may have been targeting him but mistakenly killed Faull.
The McAfee antivirus millionaire said he refuses to speak with the Belizean police. “Under no circumstances am I going to willingly talk to the police in this country,” he told Davis on Monday. “You can say I’m paranoid about it but they will kill me, there is no question. They’ve been trying to get me for months. They want to silence me. I am not well liked by the prime minister. I am just a thorn in everybody’s side.”
McAfee's conversations with Davis became increasingly dire.
Shortly after, McAfee, who sold his stake in McAfee in 1994 for about $100 million, claimed that police had him cornered.
McAfee said he believes that he is being framed for the murder of Faull, his neighbor in San Pedro Town, an island town in Belize. He and Faull had reportedly quarreled recently, and Faull filed a formal complaint with the mayor against the software developer and his "roughish behavior," according to Gizmodo. Over the weekend, Faull was found murdered in his home, lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the head.
This is not McAfee's first run in with the Belizean police.
Last April, his home was raided and officers found a chemistry lab, $20,000 in cash and a stock of firearms. At the time, McAfee claimed he was targeted because he did not give money to "the local political boss," according to Network World, a tech news website.
The Belize Reporter Newspaper interviewed McAfee a few months ago. View the video below.