Boeing Whistleblower’s Friend: ‘There’s No Way’ He Killed Himself

Following a string of troubling incidents involving Boeing jets, a former employee who had been sounding the alarm about safety issues since retiring in 2017 was found dead in his vehicle from what authorities indicated appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The discovery earlier this month in a Holiday Inn parking lot in Charleston, South Carolina, coincided with the date he had been scheduled to provide testimony related to a lawsuit against the influential aircraft manufacturer. 

As news of John Barnett’s death spread, speculation mounted regarding whether he actually committed suicide.

Those questions only became more pronounced after a woman identified in media reports only as “Jennifer,” who claimed to have been Barnett’s friend, recounted a recent conversation she said the two had regarding his status as a whistleblower.

“I know that he did not commit suicide,” she said. “There’s no way.”

Jennifer, who said she most recently saw Barnett last month, said she asked him directly if he was afraid of the possible repercussions of his statements about Boeing.

“No, I ain’t scared,” she recalled him saying. “But if anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”

The two also addressed his recent deposition, resulting in Jennifer’s conclusion that someone “didn’t like” what Barnett was saying and sought to “shut him up” by staging a scene that “made it look like a suicide.”

Attorneys representing Barnett shared their own observations about his apparent well-being in the days leading up to his death.

Robert Turkewitz and Brian Knowles issued a statement noting that Barnett’s participation in the lawsuit, which alleged retaliation by Boeing over his status as a whistleblower, was about to be completed.

“He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on,” they wrote. “We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it.”

Boeing, which has seen its reputation repeatedly tarnished by distressing incidents as recently as an emergency landing by a 777 jet operated by American Airlines on Wednesday, released a brief statement acknowledging the former employee’s death.

“We are saddened by Mr. Barnett’s passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends,” the company wrote.