McAfee antivirus software creator dead in Spanish prison

TIL Desk/Business/Barcelona/ John McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software, was found dead in a Spanish prison. He was 75. Hours earlier, a Spanish court issued a preliminary ruling in favor of the 75-year-old tycoon’s extradition to the United States to face tax-related criminal charges.

According to reports, McAfee was found dead in his cell in a prison near Barcelona on Wednesday around 1 pm ET, according to a spokesperson for the Superior Court of Catalonia.

The Catalonia regional government Justice Department said that prison medical personnel and guards attempted to perform life-saving procedures after finding McAfee, but were unsuccessful. The statement said “everything indicates” that McAfee could have died by suicide.

Earlier that day, a three-judge panel at Spain’s National Court in Madrid ruled that McAfee could be extradited to the United States to face charges there, a National Court spokesman told. McAfee was arrested in Spain in October last year after he was indicted in the US for tax evasion months ago.