Belize Murder: Victim Had Confronted John McAfee Over Dogs
Complaint says dogs, armed guards running amok, tourists 'terrified.'
Nov. 14, 2012 — -- Gregory Faull, who was found shot to death in Belize Sunday, had confronted tech guru John McAfee about his "vicious" dogs, and had joined other neighbors in filing a complaint with local officials demanding they do something about his dogs and the armed and aggressive security guards patrolling his beachfront property.
McAfee, who is being sought for questioning in Faull's murder, has been on the run since the weekend, though he is not believed to have left Belize. He denies shooting Faull, claiming that he is "not well-liked" by Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow and that Belize officials want him dead.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said McAfee was "bonkers," and needed to "man up" and talk to police.
ABC News has obtained an exclusive copy of the complaint against McAfee, which Faull wrote on behalf of the neighborhood and filed with local officials last month.
"The residents and visitors of the Mata Grande Subdivision and surrounding properties petition [local authorities] to address 3 issues affecting our safety, health and tourism," says the complaint. "These problems are all at the residence of John McAfee."
The petition charges that security guards on McAfee's property "walk around with shotguns at night and up and down the beach . . . They have been known to shine spotlights right into peoples' eyes at night and act aggressively with their guns, chambering a bullet and nonsense such as this. People are scared to walk down the beach at night as a result. The tourists are terrified."
The complaint also alleges that taxis and delivery trucks arrive at McAfee's house at all hours, and that "vicious dogs" on his property are running amok. "These animals get loose and run as a pack. Three residents have been bitten and three tourists have been attacked."
According to the complaint, when one of McAfee's dogs attacked a young female tourist, a neighbor who had witnessed the attack confronted McAfee, who had also witnessed the attack. McAfee "did nothing about it," says the complaint. Neighbors told ABC News that Faull, who lived 300 yards from McAfee, was the person who confronted McAfee.
McAfee, who has kept in touch with Wired editor Joshua Davis while in hiding, said today that he had "radically" altered his appearance in order to elude the local police.
"I have modified my appearance in a radical fashion," McAfee told Davis. "I'll probably look like a murderer, unfortunately."
McAfee, 67, said he had dyed his hair, beard, mustached and eyebrows black.
McAfee's Dogs Shot Dead
Faull was found dead on Sunday morning on the second story of his home with a gunshot to the back of his head. There was no sign of forced entry, and police found a 9 mm casing at the scene. Faull's laptop and iPhone were missing.
McAfee has not been seen since Saturday, but has been sending Davis regular missives. He claims that someone poisoned his dogs and that he had to shoot four of them to put them out of their misery. He also claims that the Belize Police wanted to kill him and killed Faull instead, and that he fled for his life when he heard about his neighbor's death.
On Wednesday, ballistics experts and three police officers arrived at McAfee's beachfront residence in San Pedro. They dug up four dogs, all of whom had been shot.
McAfee sent Davis an essay Wednesday morning in which he compared the Belizean government to pirates.
"Belize is, today, still a pirate haven and is run more or less along the lines established centuries ago by the likes of Captain Morgan, Blackbeard and Captain Barrow," wrote McAfee. "Plunder is the preferred means of wealth acquisition."
"I am not fond of these rules, however, and I openly oppose them," said McAfee.
McAfee promised that over the next few days, "I will tell my side of the sad story unfolding around me."
He also told Davis, "I am not well-liked by the prime minister."
Prime Minister Barrow denied having any personal animus toward McAfee, saying he had "never met the man." He also said that McAfee should turn himself in.
"I don't want to be unkind," said Barrow, "but he seems to be extremely paranoid -- I would go so far as to say bonkers."
McAfee is best known for developing anti-piracy software in the 1980s and helping to pioneer instant messaging in the 1990s. He sold his shares in the software company that bears his name in 1994 and pocketed $100 million. After losing all but $4 million of his fortune, he moved to Belize five years ago.