Janice McAfee, the widow of tech impresario John McAfee, continues to be within the midst of grief. She is doing “odd jobs to feed herself,” has run out of funds, and nonetheless doesn’t know what actually occurred to her husband.
For the reason that demise of crypto guru and antivirus pioneer husband John McAfee in a Barcelona jail greater than two years in the past, she has remained in Spain in an undisclosed location and has solely been saved from homelessness by the kindness of associates.
She will’t transfer on as a result of she nonetheless doesn’t know what occurred to her husband regardless of a September ruling this 12 months from a Catalan court docket that John McAfee died by suicide and the case was successfully closed.
In an unique Zoom interview with Journal, she defined her present state of affairs.
“For greater than two years, I’ve not solely needed to cope with the tragedy of John’s demise, however it’s so laborious to maneuver on as a result of the authorities refuse to launch the post-mortem of his demise. I’ve tried and tried, however they won’t let me see it.
“There’s the chance of an unbiased post-mortem, however that may value 30,000 euros, and I don’t have the cash to pay for it. All I would like is to see his physique for myself and know that basically occurred.”
“Not having the cash myself to make the choice to seek out out what actually occurred is difficult, however I’m hoping that giving this interview will give folks the chance to know what’s actually occurring. I nonetheless have folks contacting me who nonetheless can’t imagine he’s useless,” she says.
This video was taken at John’s seventy fifth birthday celebration in Spain. I used to be behind the digital camera filming however was blissful to place the digital camera down to bounce!
He seemed so good-looking that evening. That smile, how I miss that smile.
We have fun you in the present day John David❤🕊 pic.twitter.com/MDgvbd4tgY
— Janice McAfee (@theemrsmcafee) September 18, 2023
What occurred to John McAfee’s $100-million fortune?
Though John was value greater than $100 million after he resigned from antivirus firm McAfee in 1994 and bought his inventory, his official fortune had dwindled to an estimated $4 million on the time of his demise, in keeping with Superstar Internet Value.
He claimed in 2019 that he had no cash and couldn’t pay a $25-million court docket order over a wrongful demise lawsuit. Nonetheless, he was arrested the next 12 months on U.S. expenses of tax evasion, with authorities claiming he and his workforce had earned $11 million selling cryptocurrencies. From jail, he instructed his 1 million Twitter followers he doesn’t have any hidden crypto. “I’ve nothing. However I remorse nothing.”
In response to Janice, her husband didn’t have a will or an property, so there isn’t any cash, and due to the judgments in opposition to him within the U.S., it’s extremely unlikely that any monetary legacy shall be handed on to her.
There are tales that there are secret caches and paperwork, however Janice was intentionally stored at the hours of darkness (about alleged “secret treasure”) by her husband, so she wouldn’t be at risk. She additionally has a raft of unanswered questions on John’s premature finish.
“I don’t assume he thought issues would have ended the best way they did and nor did I. I don’t know if he dedicated suicide; we talked day-after-day after he was imprisoned close to Barcelona. I don’t understand how he acquired strung up.”
“I don’t know if it was with a rope or a shoelace. Within the jail report, it says that once they discovered him, he was nonetheless alive; he had a pulse and was respiratory once they discovered him. A faint pulse, however a pulse is a pulse.”
Janice can not imagine that when he was discovered within the cell with a ligature or shoelace round his neck, medical practitioners there appeared to have tried CPR on him with out eradicating it first.
“I went to high school to be a registered nursing assistant, and I understand how to do CPR. Even within the motion pictures, it’s the very first thing you do: clear the airways.”
“If someone has one thing tight round their neck, that’s the very last thing you’ll do. The very first thing can be to take away the obstruction, however you possibly can see from the jail video that didn’t occur. I don’t know if it was negligence or stupidity; it simply feels sinister. However now I’m speculating, and I don’t need to try this.”
Janice McAfee was frightened after John’s demise
After her husband’s demise, Janice was frightened for her security. Whereas John had instructed her that the authorities have been solely after him, not her, she was nonetheless apprehensive that she can be a goal for others.
“John at all times assured me that he wouldn’t inform me something that may put me at risk; that was a consolation. He was public in regards to the 31 terabytes of data that he apparently possessed, however he by no means shared that with me, and I don’t know the place it’s or whether or not it truly existed.”
I’ve collected information on corruption in governments. For the primary time, I am naming names and specifics. I will start with a corrupt CIA agent and two Bahamian officers. Coming in the present day. If I am arrested or disappear, 31+ terrabytes of incriminating information shall be launched to the press.
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 9, 2019
“However I really feel secure for the time being. I’ve nothing to cover, and I don’t even understand how he actually died, not to mention what he possessed. If there was an unbiased post-mortem, I can get some peace. There is a chance to take action, however it’s very costly.”
I first met Janice and John at a blockchain convention in Malta in 2018. Just like the crypto world on the time, it was chaos — however good chaos.
I interviewed him on stage, and it wasn’t my best hour, or perhaps it was. There was one thing about being close to him that affected me and made me behave on stage in a extra carefree method. Possibly that’s what he might do, a Svengali of types.
John had been ingesting whisky on the aspect of the stage however was sober and lucid. Janice was with him, defending him from the 1000’s of people that wished to talk to him.
She jogged my memory of Kim Kardashian after I interviewed her in Armenia — calm, collected and virtually zen-like in her presence. I instantly favored Janice and trusted her.
Later after the on-stage interview had been accomplished, I used to be approached by a husband-and-wife digital camera workforce who was doing a documentary on crypto that was virtually completed, however they’d love a phrase with John. Might I assist?
I wasn’t certain however texted Janice, and he or she stated it was OK; John apparently favored me. I used to be invited to the penthouse suite and satisfied the armed guard outdoors their room that I might vouch for the folks with me. Once more, not one thing I did day-after-day.
John laughed when he noticed me. “You once more, for f–ok’s sake!” However he was civil to the husband-and-wife workforce and invited me to affix him on a personal yacht in Valletta Harbour that night.
What goes on on non-public yachts stays there, however we grew to become associates there after which, primarily as a result of I used to be the one one “not blowing smoke up my arse,” in keeping with John. Additional invites would observe — notably to an island off North Carolina when he was nonetheless incognito and on the run.
We stayed in contact, and I carried out a few interviews with him through the pandemic after I was working a podcast. After I reached out to Janet on Twitter/X to see if she can be thinking about doing her first interview, she stated John thought of me a good friend and can be blissful to take action.
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Janice McAfee nonetheless desires to get better John McAfee’s physique
So, that’s the backstory to this interview, however what’s extra necessary is the journey from this level on. Janice is decided to observe John’s needs that, if died, he wished his physique to be cremated.
“His physique continues to be within the morgue on the jail the place he died. I don’t know why they determined to carry on to his physique. They don’t want it. Two years in the past, I had the cash for an unbiased post-mortem; a 12 months in the past, I had the cash, however now I don’t.”
Additionally learn: ‘Holy shit, I’ve seen that!’ — Coldie’s Snoop Dogg, Vitalik and McAfee NFTs: NFT Creator
“I’m surviving by taking little jobs right here and there to feed myself; that’s not what’s necessary. What issues is what I can do for John. I’m not a sufferer — John was the sufferer — and I want that post-mortem report, to not proceed a combat in opposition to Spanish authorities, however to know what actually occurred to him.”
I wished to share my ideas on the choose’s denial of my attraction filed final 12 months for John’s post-mortem report back to be launched.
20 months is a very long time to attend however not less than the choice has been made & I can lastly start the lengthy journey of shifting ahead. pic.twitter.com/24kikiU9pV
— Janice McAfee (@theemrsmcafee) October 5, 2023
I put it to Janice that the notion was that John had run out of time and had come to the tip of the highway. An extradition order to the U.S. had been made hours earlier than his demise, and it was certainly going to be laborious for him in a U.S. jail.
American authorities don’t like individuals who thumb their noses at them, and an instance would have been made from him. In some methods, didn’t his obvious suicide make full sense to a proud man?
“We by no means talked about that. Ever. Whereas he did inform me he wished to be cremated, that was as a result of he knew there have been individuals who wished him killed, however that’s not the purpose.”
“I don’t need to be on one aspect or the opposite. Simply inform me what the physique says. I’m not attempting to hunt justice — there’s no such factor on this earth any extra. I simply need John’s needs to be fulfilled.”
Janice is an American citizen, however she’s understandably in no rush to return to the U.S. when she doesn’t know what her standing is.
John McAfee Netflix documentary
A Netflix documentary referred to as Operating with the Satan: The Wild World of John McAfee was launched final 12 months and portrays her and John as fugitives, which isn’t one thing that Janice thinks represents the true story.
It was extra of a story in regards to the journalists themselves who tried to sensationalize a public determine and weren’t fairly as much as it. They centered themselves when the main target ought to have been on the true story of why McAfee felt disposed to be a so-called fugitive… or why Janice was staying with him.
I composed this piece 5 years in the past.
Now after almost 5 months in jail its notes replicate the isolation from my family members and from the society I’m attempting to alter.
If you wish to hear my coronary heart via music have a pay attention. pic.twitter.com/IJc6gMyciX
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) February 17, 2021
“Individuals overlook in a short time, and I perceive why as a result of the world strikes very quick these days. I simply need him to be remembered correctly, and that’s the least he deserves.”
Janice desires closure. She desires to cremate her husband, keep in mind him with love, and work out what to do subsequent.
I hope she will get her want. Everyone deserves an opportunity to maneuver on, and Janice McAfee rather more than many others.
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Monty Munford
Monty Munford writes repeatedly for the BBC, The Economist and Metropolis AM and has been a tech columnist for Forbes and The Telegraph. He additionally runs a development and visibility consultancy and has appeared at greater than 200 occasions and conferences, interviewing figures reminiscent of Tim Draper, the late John McAfee, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Wozniak, Kim Kardashian, Weapons N’ Roses and plenty of others.
