Barcelona court rules John McAfee’s death in prison was suicide

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spanish justice has ruled that John McAfee, the founder of McAfee antivirus software, killed himself in a Barcelona prison in June 2021, local media reported on Friday.

According to Spanish daily El Pais, the Provincial Court of Barcelona has dismissed his family’s appeal for a second autopsy and a criminal investigation.

The controversial software mogul was arrested at the Barcelona airport in October 2020 for failing to file taxes in the US despite making millions of dollars from promoting cryptocurrencies, consulting work, and speaking and selling the rights to his life story for a documentary.

Awaiting extradition, McAfee, 75, was found hanging in his prison cell nine months later.

However, some of those close to him questioned the circumstances of his death and pushed for further investigations.

But the legal process dragged on, and his body has been in a Barcelona morgue for more than two years. His family may now cremate him, perform a private autopsy or repatriate his body to the US.

“There is not a single element of suspicion of charges against third parties,” ruled the Spanish judge on the case. “There is no indication of anything other than death by suicide.”

The investigation included a police report, prison camera footage, an autopsy report, statements from officials and other official reports, according to El Pais. The court refused another autopsy because “no element exists that gives rise to doubt that the autopsy has not been carried out according to the proper standards.”

McAfee was a larger-than-life figure who twice sought to run for US president for the Libertarian Party. He said he fathered at least 47 children and had not paid US income tax for ideological reasons.

He was also a popular Twitter user and his death fueled conspiracy theories, particularly because of a 2019 tweet in which he said "If I suicide myself, I didn't. I was whacked."