John McAfee apparently committed himself in a Spanish prison on the day the court approved his transfer to the United States on suspicion of tax evasion. The 75-year-old notorious software impresario was found dead Wednesday afternoon in a cell at Bryans 2 Prison in Barcelona.
However, not everyone believes that he died by suicide. And there are reasons to be, as the antivirus software pioneer last year had a posted a an image of a "Whackd" tattoo on his arm claiming that if he was ever found dead by suicide then it would mean he did not kill himself. The "Whacked" tattoo is now under scrutiny, with conspiracy theorists now claims that he didn't die by suicide.
Strange Tattoo
McAfee gave an indication that he will never commit suicide more than two years ago. In 2019, he posted a picture of the "Whacked" tattoo on Twitter, in which he accused US officials of sending him threats in "subtle messages." It was McAfee's way of telling the outside world that the United States has been trying to kill him.
He said that if he was ever found to be dead by suicide, he didn't, "I was whacked".
"Getting subtle messages from U.S. officials saying, in effect: 'We're coming for you McAfee! We're going to kill yourself'," he wrote. "I got a tattoo today just in case. If I suicide myself, I didn't. I was whackd. Check my right arm."
This made people speculate that McAfee may not have died by suicide and was instead killed. However, there is no evidence to support that the US government had a role in McAfee's sudden death.
Further fuel was added to the conspiracy-related chatter after McAfee said eight months ago that he would never take his own life "a la Epstein." "I am content in here. I have friends. The food is good. All is well," he wrote in October 2020. "Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine," the tweet further read.
Leaving Everyone Puzzled
The "Whacked" tattoo, and that he won't commit suicide like Jeffery Epstein just months before his apparent suicide has left everyone puzzled, with many even hinting at a QAnon conspiracy theory angle. This more so because minutes after his death, a cryptic message with the letter "Q" was posted form his Instagram account.
McAfee's death was reported just hours after Spain's National Court approved his extradition to the US, where he is wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carried a prison sentence of up to 30 years. The decision could have been appealed and the final extradition would have needed to be approved by the Spanish Cabinet.
However, McAfee's death has now left no room for that appeal. The tech-mogul was arrested in Barcelona's International Airport as he was about board a plane to Istanbul just a day after authorities announced a US indictment stemming from alleged tax offenses. He sold his antivirus company, McAfee, to Intel for $7.7billion in 2011.
That said, However, McAfee's lawyer told Reuters on Wednesday evening that he had apparently hanged himself in his prison cell. According to a Guardian report, conspiracy theorists edited his Wikipedia page to state he was murdered.
