McAfee begins writing blog while hiding from police in Belize
The antivirus software pioneer uses a new blog to criticize authorities and the media while chronicling his attempts to avoid questioning in connection with a murder last week.
John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer sought in connection with a murder in Belize, has apparently begun writing a blog that chronicles his efforts to hide from the police.
The 67-year-old founder of the company that bears his name has been eluding the police for the past week, after the shooting death of his neighbor, whose body was discovered a week ago. Gregory Faull, a contractor and restaurant owner, had complained about McAfee's dogs as well as the technologist's armed security guards.
McAfee has told the media that he's being wrongfully persecuted by officials in Belize and that he fears for his life if he is arrested. "If I survive the 30 days [until the government is required to charge an accused criminal], which I doubt very strongly -- lots of people do die in prison here from strangling on their own vomit, hanging themselves because they're too miserable, or getting beaten to death by fellow inmates or a variety of other things...if I do survive the 30 days, then some judge will go, 'You're guilty. Period.'"
The blog -- titled "The Hinterland" -- is authentic, McAfee friend Chad Essley told CBS News.
In an entry published today, McAfee said people close to him in Belize are being detained and harassed as a result of their association with him. He listed a half-dozen people, including his housekeeper, bodyguard, and a taxi driver.
"After the murder of Mr. Faul [sic], the police began a systematic roundup of my friends and associates," McAfee wrote.
He says he is traveling with a 20-year-old woman named Samantha, whom he credits with helping to keep him fed, clothed, and in hiding.
"She has also helped me evade detection by grabbing me and kissing me, in public, in a fashion that causes passerby's to feel embarrassment at the thought of staring and by creating emotional scenes that cause the curious to momentarily forget what they were looking for," he wrote. "She is acutely aware of her surroundings and is as street smart as a sober hobo."
In another post, McAfee also criticized the media for "smearing" his character.
"Autonomous and self-serving, the press does what it does best -- sensationalize," he wrote. "And my character and the recent events of my life have been sensationalized to the max."