It seemed a bit suspicious when Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck last weekend on the same day he was supposed to give a deposition in his case against the company.
And although his death was reportedly caused by a "self-inflicted" wound, a "close family friend" told ABC News that Barnett had warned her something might "happen."
The friend, Jennifer, said Barnett "predicted he might wind up dead and that a story could surface that he killed himself," while they were talking about the deposition, reports ABC News.
For years Barnett, a retired quality manager, had been speaking out against safety issues on Boeing aircrafts that were allegedly ignored by Boeing.
"I ain't scared," Barnett told her. "But if anything happens to me, it's not suicide."
From ABC News:
Jennifer said they talked about this exact scenario playing out. However, now, his words seem like a premonition he told her directly not to believe. …
When Jennifer needed help one day, Barnett came by to see her. They talked about his upcoming deposition in Charleston. Jennifer knew Barnett filed an extremely damaging complaint against Boeing. He said the aerospace giant retaliated against him when he blew the whistle on unsafe practices.'
Jennifer added: "I know that he did not commit suicide. There's no way. He loved life too much. He loved his family too much. He loved his brothers too much to put them through what they're going through right now."
Jennifer said she thinks somebody "didn't like what he had to say" and wanted to "shut him up" without it coming back to anyone.
Barnett's case against the company will still proceed, according to his lawyer, who told ABC a trial date has been set for June.
