The tech entrepreneur made a fortune from the antivirus software that bears his name, but also spent years as a cocaine addict, spiritual guru and yoga expert. In 2009, after losing millions in the stock market crash, he decided to retire to the tiny Central American nation of Belize. That’s when things really got weird. He started hanging out with killers, prostitutes, and pimps. He fell in love with a 17-year-old and surrounded his tropical compound with armed guards. In November 2012 his neighbor was found murdered. McAfee, who professed his innocence, fled the police and went into hiding.

WIRED’s Joshua Davis had months of exclusive access to and interviews with McAfee before his disappearance and was virtually the only journalist McAfee had contact with when he went on the lam. In this fascinating profile, Davis takes readers into McAfee’s heart of darkness, a harrowing and jaw-dropping tale of ambition, paranoia, sex, and madness.

Our first WIRED Single, John McAfee’s Last Stand, is now available for current Wired subscribers and available for purchase in the Newsstand Edition of Wired on the iPad®, NOOK Tablet™, and Kindle Fire.