John McAfee is on the run from Belize police following the shooting of a fellow American last weekend.

John McAfee, one of the early pioneers of the antivirus software industry, is wanted for murder by the Belize national police force. He is currently a prime suspect in the shooting of American expatriate Gregory Faull, who was killed in his home sometime in San Pedro Town on Saturday night. Reports say that the two men had been on unfriendly terms for some time, with Faull even going so far as to file a formal complaint against McAfee for firing guns and displaying "roguish behavior".

McAfee Associates, now known as McAfee, Inc., helped popularize the concept of web security as early as 1987, when the world was still coming to grips with the internet. After selling the organization for $100 million, John McAfee moved to Belize to start a herbal drug operation, which is when things got a little odd.

Reports indicate that as McAfee's herbal company stalled, he became increasingly erratic. He found himself estranged from other American expatriates in the country, and stated that he'd hired criminals and drug traffickers for his security staff. More recently, McAfee reportedly began posting on the Russian-hosted website Bluelight about his efforts to purify bath salts, a drug known for its hallucinogenic effects. In April, police arrested McAfee and led a raid on his compound that uncovered a chemistry lab and an entire armory of weapons. After discovering that everything was licensed and legally obtained, McAfee was reluctantly released.

Faull was found by his housekeeper on Sunday morning with a gunshot wound to the head and his laptop and iPhone missing. Police are following several leads, but given McAfee's behavior and relationship with Faull, he is currently considered a prime suspect in the investigation. McAfee and Faull's most recent argument appears to have revolved around dogs, most likely guard dogs kept on McAfee's property.

A representative from McAfee, Inc. has stated that it will not comment on former employees, save to say that the company is no longer associated with its founder.

UPDATE: According to Wired, McAfee is hiding from the authorities while proclaiming his innocence. The article explains that when McAfee saw the police approaching his property, he quickly buried himself in sand, placing a cardboard box over his head so he could breathe. "It was extraordinarily uncomfortable," he said, "But they will kill me if they find me."

McAfee claims that he knows nothing about the shooting, and that his position as prime suspect is due to a government vendetta against him. McAfee also claims that the authorities poisoned his guard dogs. "The coast guard dropped off a contingent of black-suited thugs at 10:30 tonight at the dock next door," McAfee said, "They dispersed on the beach. A half hour later all of my dogs had been poisoned. Mellow, Lucky, Dipsy, and Guerrero have already died."

Belize's Gang Suppression Unit denies any attempt to poison McAfee's guard dogs. "This guy amazes me every day," unit head Marco Vidal said. "We don't have anything personal against Mr. McAfee. There is no need for us to poison dogs."

I'm more of an Avast! person

John McAfee, founder of McAfee Anti Virus and would-be hallucinogenic bath salts manufacturer, has fled Belize for sanctuary in Guatemala. The Belize authorities consider McAfee a person of interest in the killing of American expatriate Gregory Faull. McAfee claims it's all part of a government conspiracy, and that the powers that be in Belize want to kill him; in response, Belize prime minister Dean Barrow described McAfee as "bonkers".

McAfee's location was blown by his latest confidants, journalists from Vice magazine who posted a picture of themselves with McAfee in Guatemala. Regrettably the journalists failed to scrub embedded location data from the iPhone snapshot when they uploaded it, enabling alert Twitter user Simple Nomad to work out where they were when the shot was taken.

McAfee briefly tried to pretend that the gaffe was all part of his cunning plan to keep his true location hidden by spreading inaccurate information, but that explanation soon fell apart.

"I apologize for all of the misdirections over the past few days," said McAfee in a blog post, adding "I am in Guatemala and will be meeting with Guatemalan officials this morning." He has since hired a lawyer, and presumably will be preparing to defend himself against whatever charges the Belize government intends to throw at him.

Guatemalan police arrested software company founder John McAfee Wednesday for entering the country illegally, ending a bizarre journey and search for the anti-virus guru by authorities in Belize.

The fate of the anti-virus guru remained unclear Thursday as Guatemalan authorities awaited word from their Foreign Ministry as to what they would do with McAfee and whether they intended to send him back to Belize, where he is a person of interest in the killing of a fellow ex-pat.

"We are awaiting instructions from the Foreign Ministry. It will be the foreign relations department that decides the process," Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said following McAfee's arrest Wednesday at a hotel in an upscale part of Guatemala City.

Earlier on Wednesday, McAfee said he had formally requested asylum in Guatemala after entering the country from Belize, where he says he fears for his safety because he has sensitive information about official corruption and refused to donate to local politicians.

Since refusing to turn himself in to authorities in Belize, the 67-year-old had been in hiding, blogging his movements and calling reporters, until reappearing in Guatemala to claim asylum. He has not said how he crossed the border into Guatemala.

His lawyer in Guatemala, Telesforo Guerra, warned Wednesday night that McAfee's life would be in danger if he is returned to Belize.

"He will be in danger if he is returned to Belize, where he has denounced authorities," Guerra said. "From the moment he asked for asylum he has to have the protection of the Guatemalan government."

Guerra said he would ask that a judge look at McAfee's case as soon as possible.

Police in Belize deny they are persecuting McAfee and say there is no warrant for his arrest. The country's prime minister has even questioned McAfee's mental state. Since there are no restrictions on his travels, it's unclear why McAfee would need any special status in order to stay in Guatemala.

McAfee went on the run last month after officials tried to question him about the killing of Gregory Viant Faull, who was shot to death in early November on the Belize island where both men lived.

McAfee had engaged in a series of clashes with neighbors and authorities over allegations he kept aggressive dogs, illegal weapons and drug paraphernalia in his beachfront home on a Belize island. McAfee acknowledges that his dogs were bothersome and that Faull had complained about them, but denies killing Faull.

McAfee dropped out of sight in Belize after police said they were seeking him, although he grabbed global attention with regular phone calls with reporters and blog updates. He claimed to be wearing disguises and watching as police raided his house. It was unclear, however, how much of what McAfee — a confessed practical joker — said and wrote was true.

At one point, he even posted on his blog that he mounted an elaborate ruse in Mexico involving a double with a passport under his name.

He had earlier said he didn't plan to leave Belize but ultimately did because he thought "Sam" was in danger, referring to the young woman who has accompanied him since he went into hiding.

"I need a safe place where I can actually speak out," McAfee said on Tuesday after his arrival in Guatemala. "Now that I'm here I can speak freely. I can speak openly."

He said he fears he will be killed if he turns himself in for questioning in Belize.