The main character in this story is James Howells – a man who has been dubbed the unluckiest person in the world. The reason is quite simple: he is the individual who accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC) into a landfill.
At that time, Bitcoin was not yet considered a valuable asset as it is today. As a software engineer, James had mined 8,000 Bitcoins back in 2009, mainly to satisfy his passion for technology and his fascination with computers.
However, this delightful hobby had to come to an end due to a rather unfortunate incident. His girlfriend, Halfina Eddy-Evans, had been continuously complaining about the noise from the computer, which made her lose her mind. Consequently, James’s Bitcoin mining activities came to a halt, but he had still managed to accumulate a significant amount.
More importantly, a series of unfortunate events led him to accidentally pour lemonade onto his computer, causing irreversible damage. Despite this, he still managed to keep the 8,000 Bitcoins stored in his wallet. Fast forward to 2013, Halfina Eddy-Evans, while cleaning out her boyfriend’s room, accidentally tossed that hard drive into the trash.
The irony is that Halfina Eddy-Evans also just recently admitted that she was the one who accidentally threw away the digital asset. With Bitcoin currently valued at nearly $100,000, 8,000 BTC would be worth around $800 million. According to Halfina Eddy-Evans, her only wish is for her boyfriend to find the money that is now buried beneath the landfill. It’s not about making her rich but rather so that James can stop talking about it.
Regarding the legal aspect, James has filed a lawsuit against the city of Newport, demanding compensation of $647 million for denying his request to excavate the landfill where his hard drive was mistakenly thrown away.
