The case of a former Boeing employee, known for raising concerns about the company's production standards, found dead in the United States shortly after testifying in a lawsuit against the company, continues to hold many surprises. Recently, a family friend of John Barnett claimed he predicted that he might end up dead after publicly expressing concerns about Boeing following his retirement in 2017, stating to her, "If anything happens, it is not suicide."
The friend, who identified herself only as Jennifer, told ABC 4: "I know he didn’t commit suicide," emphasizing that it is impossible he would have done so. She added that he was not afraid but assured her that if any harm befell him, it was not a suicide.
Jennifer also expressed her belief that someone "didn't like what Barnett said" and allegedly wanted to "silence him," claiming: "That’s why they made it look like a suicide," according to a report from the New York Post on Friday.
It remains unclear when the conversation about his upcoming testimony in the lawsuit against Boeing took place, according to Jennifer. It is noteworthy that Barnett was scheduled to give his closed testimony for the third day in his lawsuit against the aerospace giant on the morning of March 9 but never showed up.
His alarmed lawyers raised the alarm and requested a welfare check at the Holiday Inn hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, after he failed to respond to calls. The police subsequently found him dead inside his car with a gunshot wound to the head, a silver pistol still in his hand. Authorities stated that the investigation into his death is ongoing.
