A young “crypto anarchist” going by the name of “John Galton” who claimed to be fleeing marijauna-related charges in the US has been shot dead in his home in Acapulco, NBC San Diego reports.
The young man’s male friend , Jason Henza, 43, was reportedly also shot three times by armed gunman who raided the home.
Henza was later treated at a private hospital for bullet wounds to his armpit, hand and leg and was released the same day.
The dead man’s girlfriend, Lily Forrester, appears to have witnessed the shooting but was otherwise unharmed.
Right after the attack, Forrester reportedly posted a distraught video on Facebook, screaming, “I really need help! Somebody please come.”
Henza also posted a video to Facebook immediately after the attack, “We were attacked. I’ve been shot three times. I’m not doing so good.”
“Galton” (whose name may be a pseudonymous nod to the character “John Galt” in Ayn Rand’s libertarian tome Atlas Shrugged), reportedly ran “Meat Ups” (all-meat socials) in Acapulco with Forrester.
The two have reportedly claimed in videos for the YouTube channel “Press for Truth” that they moved to Acapulco to escape drug charges and possible sentences of 25 years for “manufacture of a controlled substance” in the form of concentrated “marijuana extracts” Forrester used for pain.
Mexican police reportedly found a marijuana grow operation and equipment Forrester used to blow glass marijuana pipes in the $400-a-month house Forrester and Galton rented in Acapulco where Galton was killed.
The couple was also active in promoting the “Anarchapulco” conference, which takes place in the Acapulco every year in February and claims to host 3000 attendees.
Acapulco is said to be the home of many anarchists and cryptocurrency advocates, users and investors.
Galton reportedly said in video at Press for Truth that he found Acapulco “safer” than big cities in the US:
“I’d say it’s safer than any big city I’ve lived in in the U.S., like way safer than Chicago or something like that.”
But Acapulco is described by a Washington Post reporter covering the murder of Galton as the, “Murder capital of Mexico,” and according to NBC San Diego, the murder rate in Acapulco is twice as high as that in Chicago (64.2 per 100,000 residents).
Still, Galton saw Acapulco as a place to exercise his lifestyle he wanted:
“There’s pockets of freedom all over the world. There’s so much that’s more free about where we live here.”