5 ms·

McAfee Security founder wanted for murder in Belize

69 points by Reltair 14y ago

bitfed 14y ago
Bath salts: "Since then, McAfee has reportedly been spending his time researching MDPV, a stimulant that can produce similar effects to methamphetamine. It is illegal in the United States." 0.o
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  Unfortunately, in itself, that statement means very little to me: > a stimulant that can produce similar effects to methamphetamine That can describe many substances, both legal and illegal: street meth, Adderall, Vyvanse, Desoxyn, MDMA - the list goes on. Even caffeine could be said to produce 'similar effects' - both are stimulants and diuretics that have comparable in vivo half-life times (depending on the means of ingestion). > It is illegal in the United States. Well, that doesn't mean much. Methamphetamine is illegal, except when it isn't (prescribed). And the US drug scheduling (which determines the degrees of legality) is so nonsensical that it may as well be randomly generated for all it tells us about the relative dangers and harms of a substance.
  - hnriot 14y ago
    Methamphetamine was given out in bucket loads to troops in the past.
    - dmix 14y ago
      Hitler also took an injection of Methamphetamine every day until his suicide. But we've strayed off topic.
  - ChuckMcM 14y ago
    That is why in the Ars article it was linked to its wikipedia page : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
  - tptacek 14y ago
    There's not much innuendo involved here. The article pretty directly links to MDVP. Go look it up on Erowid; it's not particularly inert stuff.
    - chimeracoder 14y ago
      > The article pretty directly links to MDVP. Go look it up on Erowid My point is that this is a rather irresponsible journalistic statement. If they want to portray MDVP as a dangerous substance, that's a pretty terrible comparison that fails to get the point across to anybody who knows a thing or two about psychoactive substances.
      - dsl 14y ago
        > anybody who knows a thing or two about psychoactive substances Which is arguably a single digit percentage of ars readers.
        chimeracoder 14y ago
        Would you rather assume your readers are knowledgeable and help them rise to the occasion, or assume that they're ignorant and one day be proven correct? My background in journalism has taught me to favor the former.
        mindslight 14y ago
        I'm confused. Are you trying to say that you don't have a background in journalism? Or you do, but it's just decades old from a time when the goal was to inform and not just get page views? Modern journalistic tack is to write sensationalist scare stories targeted at the least common denominator moron, as they'll be the most outraged and hang on every update.
        chimeracoder 14y ago
        > Modern journalistic tack is to write sensationalist scare stories targeted at the least common denominator moron, as they'll be the most outraged and hang on every update. I don't think it's a coincidence that most modern journalism isn't worth reading, IMHO. > Or you do, but it's just decades old from a time when the goal was to inform and not just get page views? It's not decades old - I just like to think we did a good job of writing informative pieces instead of sensationalist nonsense. At least, we made a very, very dedicated effort to follow journalistic ethics - I'll let others be the judge on how well we succeeded. :-)
- alook 14y ago
  Time to switch to Kaspersky!
  - stmartin 14y ago
    NOD32 > Kaspersky (IMHO)
danso 14y ago
Let's give credit where credit is due: Gizmodo exclusively broke this story, not just of McAfee's post-software adventures, but of his current status as a murder suspect: http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder
- celticninja 14y ago
  but it is also part of the gawker family, so fuck them.
  - danso 14y ago
    Uh, so? Judge pieces of work on an individual basis.
    - celticninja 14y ago
      I am reading it for the information it conveys not the emotions it evokes.
tptacek 14y ago
Highly recommend you click through to the drug forum posts (he's "stuffmonger").
- nkurz 14y ago
  OK, I've read it. Thanks for the recommendation. Yes, it is an extremely interesting thread: :http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/541627-Hello-and-an-MDPV-Question http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/541627-Hello-and-an-MDPV-... My impression is that McAfee is a brilliant fraud, trying his best to communicate something he feels is of great value but constantly tripped up by some innate compulsion to embellish. On the other hand, he's one of the most articulate and lucid characters in the thread. While there are a few other mentally intact and highly intelligent posters, I picture him as the hapless 35-year-old sixth-grader in Miss Mandible's classroom: http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/barthelme-mandible.html http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/barthelme-mandible.html Is it more of a surprise that he's comes across as genuine, fully coherent, and rational, or that most of those consuming drugs made in their kitchen based on questionable mail-order supplies and loose online descriptions have to be reminded several times that baking powder is not the same as baking soda? My other main impression is that many of the journalists attempting to summarize the thread in various online venues share the reading comprehension level of the latter.
zik 14y ago
His software murdered my computer too.
- jpdoctor 14y ago
  My thought exactly, and that was the crime I was hoping they'd nail him for.
- tptacek 14y ago
  Back in the days when McAfee still worked there, it was a genuinely useful program.
jonnathanson 14y ago
It's a shame he had to go crackpot. The original reason behind his move to Belize -- or at least the publically stated reason -- was to research a new class of antibiotics, known as quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSIs). Long story short, these drugs would inhibit bacterial growth without creating resistances. If they pan out, they're a revolution in antimicrobial medicine.
- dsl 14y ago
  That is simply not a true statement. He met Allison Adonizio (who introduced him to QSI) long after he moved to Belize. They managed to synthesize a compound that was already patented by a big pharm company, but produced no original research. It is not hard to figure out John moved to Belize because of the lax drug enforcement and age of consent laws.
  - rpm4321 14y ago
    It's been reported that he moved to Belize in an attempt to shield his assets from lawsuits stemming from a death that occurred at a paragliding company he owned.
  - jonnathanson 14y ago
    Well, I certainly stand corrected. Like I said, that's the "publically stated" reason. Evidently it's just that -- bullshit smoke he's been blowing to cover up his foul play.
  - daeken 14y ago
    > It is not hard to figure out John moved to Belize because of the lax drug enforcement and age of consent laws. Lax drug enforcement, sure, but age of consent? It's 16. There are dozens of countries where it's significantly lower -- many 12 or 13. Don't see why that'd be much of a motivator, even if that's your thing; most US states are 16 too, IIRC.
    - mullingitover 14y ago
      Heck, if he really was a filthy perv he could've gone to Spain, where age of consent is 13.
jacquesm 14y ago
Let's wait with the hanging until the verdict is in. "John McAfee, who founded the antivirus software giant named after him, is wanted for questioning by police in Belize who are investigating the murder of a 52-year-old man, CBS reported today. According to the report, police are searching for the killer of Gregory Viant Faull, an American expat. Gizmodo reported earlier today that McAfee was wanted for the crime, but CBS, quoting Rafael Martinez, spokesman for the Belize National Security Ministry, said it would be incorrect to call McAfee a suspect at this time. " From: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57548458-83/antivirus-pioneer-mcafee-sought-for-questioning-in-murder-case/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57548458-83/antivirus-pione... There is plenty of smoke here, even a smoking gun but it would be premature to conclude McAfee handled the gun and if he did that it was murder.
kristofferR 14y ago
The McAfee story is getting more interesting and weird every month it seems. I wonder what will happen next. Will he flee to another country, safe from prosecution, or will he be caught? Etc When the story ends (likely by suicide or imprisonment unfortunately) somebody should really make a movie about it.
chimeracoder 14y ago
I'm surprised nobody has pointed this out, but the title really should be changed - he has not been charged, and is merely a 'person of interest', which is very different from saying that he is wanted. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/11/12/mcafee-belize-murder-sanpedro.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/11/12/mcafee-be...
cancerballs 14y ago
MDPV can seriously fuck you up. It's the most potential stimulant I've ever used. If McAfee was researching it, he was using it. It's one of those drugs I recommend you to be extra careful with.

69 points by Reltair 14y ago

Bath salts: "Since then, McAfee has reportedly been spending his time researching MDPV, a stimulant that can produce similar effects to methamphetamine. It is illegal in the United States." 0.o

chimeracoder 14y ago
Unfortunately, in itself, that statement means very little to me: > a stimulant that can produce similar effects to methamphetamine That can describe many substances, both legal and illegal: street meth, Adderall, Vyvanse, Desoxyn, MDMA - the list goes on. Even caffeine could be said to produce 'similar effects' - both are stimulants and diuretics that have comparable in vivo half-life times (depending on the means of ingestion). > It is illegal in the United States. Well, that doesn't mean much. Methamphetamine is illegal, except when it isn't (prescribed). And the US drug scheduling (which determines the degrees of legality) is so nonsensical that it may as well be randomly generated for all it tells us about the relative dangers and harms of a substance.
- hnriot 14y ago
  Methamphetamine was given out in bucket loads to troops in the past.
  - dmix 14y ago
    Hitler also took an injection of Methamphetamine every day until his suicide. But we've strayed off topic.
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  That is why in the Ars article it was linked to its wikipedia page : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
- tptacek 14y ago
  There's not much innuendo involved here. The article pretty directly links to MDVP. Go look it up on Erowid; it's not particularly inert stuff.
  - chimeracoder 14y ago
    > The article pretty directly links to MDVP. Go look it up on Erowid My point is that this is a rather irresponsible journalistic statement. If they want to portray MDVP as a dangerous substance, that's a pretty terrible comparison that fails to get the point across to anybody who knows a thing or two about psychoactive substances.
    - dsl 14y ago
      > anybody who knows a thing or two about psychoactive substances Which is arguably a single digit percentage of ars readers.
      - chimeracoder 14y ago
        Would you rather assume your readers are knowledgeable and help them rise to the occasion, or assume that they're ignorant and one day be proven correct? My background in journalism has taught me to favor the former.
        mindslight 14y ago
        I'm confused. Are you trying to say that you don't have a background in journalism? Or you do, but it's just decades old from a time when the goal was to inform and not just get page views? Modern journalistic tack is to write sensationalist scare stories targeted at the least common denominator moron, as they'll be the most outraged and hang on every update.
        chimeracoder 14y ago
        > Modern journalistic tack is to write sensationalist scare stories targeted at the least common denominator moron, as they'll be the most outraged and hang on every update. I don't think it's a coincidence that most modern journalism isn't worth reading, IMHO. > Or you do, but it's just decades old from a time when the goal was to inform and not just get page views? It's not decades old - I just like to think we did a good job of writing informative pieces instead of sensationalist nonsense. At least, we made a very, very dedicated effort to follow journalistic ethics - I'll let others be the judge on how well we succeeded. :-)
alook 14y ago
Time to switch to Kaspersky!
- stmartin 14y ago
  NOD32 > Kaspersky (IMHO)

danso 14y ago

Let's give credit where credit is due: Gizmodo exclusively broke this story, not just of McAfee's post-software adventures, but of his current status as a murder suspect: http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder http://gizmodo.com/5959812/john-mcafee-wanted-for-murder

celticninja 14y ago
but it is also part of the gawker family, so fuck them.
- danso 14y ago
  Uh, so? Judge pieces of work on an individual basis.
  - celticninja 14y ago
    I am reading it for the information it conveys not the emotions it evokes.

tptacek 14y ago

Highly recommend you click through to the drug forum posts (he's "stuffmonger").

nkurz 14y ago
OK, I've read it. Thanks for the recommendation. Yes, it is an extremely interesting thread: :http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/541627-Hello-and-an-MDPV-Question http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/541627-Hello-and-an-MDPV-... My impression is that McAfee is a brilliant fraud, trying his best to communicate something he feels is of great value but constantly tripped up by some innate compulsion to embellish. On the other hand, he's one of the most articulate and lucid characters in the thread. While there are a few other mentally intact and highly intelligent posters, I picture him as the hapless 35-year-old sixth-grader in Miss Mandible's classroom: http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/barthelme-mandible.html http://www.coldbacon.com/writing/barthelme-mandible.html Is it more of a surprise that he's comes across as genuine, fully coherent, and rational, or that most of those consuming drugs made in their kitchen based on questionable mail-order supplies and loose online descriptions have to be reminded several times that baking powder is not the same as baking soda? My other main impression is that many of the journalists attempting to summarize the thread in various online venues share the reading comprehension level of the latter.

zik 14y ago

His software murdered my computer too.

jpdoctor 14y ago
My thought exactly, and that was the crime I was hoping they'd nail him for.
tptacek 14y ago
Back in the days when McAfee still worked there, it was a genuinely useful program.

jonnathanson 14y ago

It's a shame he had to go crackpot. The original reason behind his move to Belize -- or at least the publically stated reason -- was to research a new class of antibiotics, known as quorum-sensing inhibitors (QSIs). Long story short, these drugs would inhibit bacterial growth without creating resistances. If they pan out, they're a revolution in antimicrobial medicine.

dsl 14y ago
That is simply not a true statement. He met Allison Adonizio (who introduced him to QSI) long after he moved to Belize. They managed to synthesize a compound that was already patented by a big pharm company, but produced no original research. It is not hard to figure out John moved to Belize because of the lax drug enforcement and age of consent laws.
- rpm4321 14y ago
  It's been reported that he moved to Belize in an attempt to shield his assets from lawsuits stemming from a death that occurred at a paragliding company he owned.
- jonnathanson 14y ago
  Well, I certainly stand corrected. Like I said, that's the "publically stated" reason. Evidently it's just that -- bullshit smoke he's been blowing to cover up his foul play.
- daeken 14y ago
  > It is not hard to figure out John moved to Belize because of the lax drug enforcement and age of consent laws. Lax drug enforcement, sure, but age of consent? It's 16. There are dozens of countries where it's significantly lower -- many 12 or 13. Don't see why that'd be much of a motivator, even if that's your thing; most US states are 16 too, IIRC.
  - mullingitover 14y ago
    Heck, if he really was a filthy perv he could've gone to Spain, where age of consent is 13.

jacquesm 14y ago

Let's wait with the hanging until the verdict is in. "John McAfee, who founded the antivirus software giant named after him, is wanted for questioning by police in Belize who are investigating the murder of a 52-year-old man, CBS reported today. According to the report, police are searching for the killer of Gregory Viant Faull, an American expat. Gizmodo reported earlier today that McAfee was wanted for the crime, but CBS, quoting Rafael Martinez, spokesman for the Belize National Security Ministry, said it would be incorrect to call McAfee a suspect at this time. " From: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57548458-83/antivirus-pioneer-mcafee-sought-for-questioning-in-murder-case/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57548458-83/antivirus-pione... There is plenty of smoke here, even a smoking gun but it would be premature to conclude McAfee handled the gun and if he did that it was murder.

kristofferR 14y ago

The McAfee story is getting more interesting and weird every month it seems. I wonder what will happen next. Will he flee to another country, safe from prosecution, or will he be caught? Etc When the story ends (likely by suicide or imprisonment unfortunately) somebody should really make a movie about it.

chimeracoder 14y ago

I'm surprised nobody has pointed this out, but the title really should be changed - he has not been charged, and is merely a 'person of interest', which is very different from saying that he is wanted. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/11/12/mcafee-belize-murder-sanpedro.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/11/12/mcafee-be...

cancerballs 14y ago

MDPV can seriously fuck you up. It's the most potential stimulant I've ever used. If McAfee was researching it, he was using it. It's one of those drugs I recommend you to be extra careful with.