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Web pioneer John McAfee caught in murder mystery

Kai Ryssdal Nov 13, 2012
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Web pioneer John McAfee caught in murder mystery

Kai Ryssdal Nov 13, 2012
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed the authorship of a statement on Wired.com. John McAfee posted to proclaim his innocence. The text has been updated.

In the small Central American nation of Belize this past Saturday night, an American named Gregory Faull was found shot in the back of the head. John McAfee, one of the first developers of anti-virus software for your computer, is one of the suspects in the crime, which took place on the island of Ambergris Caye.

The story of his involvement came to light this morning on Gizmodo.com. Jeff Wise authored the piece and wrote: “McAfee has become increasingly estranged from his fellow expatriates in recent years. His behavior has become increasingly erratic, and by his own admission he had begun associating with some of the most notorious gangsters in Belize.”

Wise has been studying McAfee for years now, documenting his strange journey from computer pioneer to shadowy figure.

“Here’s a guy who had everything,” Wise told Marketplace. “He walked away from this company he founded with millions and millions of dollars, he was in the prime of life, he could do whatever he wanted to do. And the tragedy is that a certain [type of] person put in that situation…it will ruin them.”

McAfee surfaced this afternoon to proclaim his innocence in an exclusive interview on Wired.com.

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