Boeing whistleblower John Barnett's cause of death revealed as autopsy findings throw light on his final moments
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at tel:1-800-273-TALK (8255).
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Investigators in Charleston, South Carolina, have made public their conclusions regarding the death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett.
Barnett was found dead, seated in the driver's seat of his orange Dodge Ram, according to the autopsy report. Concerns emerged regarding the sudden death of 62-year-old Barnett on March 9, just before he was scheduled to testify against his previous employer. His attorneys called on the Charleston police to conduct a thorough and precise investigation, stating, "We need more information about what happened to John."
John Barnett's cause of death revealed after autopsy
After his attorneys requested a well-being check when Barnett did not show up for the hearing, authorities discovered him in the hotel parking lot, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators later discovered that he was holding a pistol in his right hand and that there was gunshot residue on it. John Barnett's suicide note was discovered on his passenger seat, and there was only one shell casing in the truck.
"All findings were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Bobbi Jo O'Neal, the Charleston County Coroner, wrote in the report, as per Fox News. "Mr Barnett sustained a fatal gunshot wound to his head at close range while inside his locked vehicle," the Charleston Police Department said in a statement. "No evidence of forced entry was found and there were no signs of a physical struggle within the vehicle," the report further said.
The gunshot wound is listed as the official cause of death, "is best deemed, ‘Suicide,’" the coroner said. Cops further stated that when they discovered him, he and the key fob were locked inside his car alone.
His phone records revealed no odd communications or travel patterns, and hotel security footage showed him checking out on his own before reversing into a parking space a short while later. Nobody left or entered the car until the somber realization the next morning.
According to police records, Barnett lawfully purchased the handgun in 2000, and they discovered his fingerprints on the notepad that held his letter of suicide.
Barnett was suing Boeing, alleging that the business had spied on him, harassed him, and taken revenge on him. Robert Turkewitz, one of Barnett's attorneys, previously stated to Fox News that he didn't believe the aerospace behemoth had anything to do with his client's passing. He added that "it just didn't make sense" for him to take his own life.
John Barnett wrote Boeing 'destroyed my life' in suicide note
Barnett allegedly recorded his final thoughts in a notebook shortly before taking his own life. “I can’t do this any longer! Enough!” he wrote, according to a suicide note obtained by The Post. “F**k Boeing,” according to New York Post.
He further wrote, “America, come together or die!! I pray the motherf**ker that destroyed my life pay!!! I pray Boeing pays!!! Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-a** leaders can kiss my a**.”
Authorities have confirmed the handwriting is Barnett's. The notebook found only his fingerprints. In his letter, Barnett also included messages for his loved ones.
He wrote, “To my family and friends, I found my purpose. “I’m at peace. I love you more.”
Who was John Barnett?
Barnett was a quality-control engineer for Boeing for more than thirty years before retiring in 2017. He claimed to the BBC in 2019 that Boeing would rush the delivery of its 787 Dreamliners, jeopardizing safety.
Barnett expressed his concerns to TMZ in January, citing a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft that was being brought back into service too soon following an Alaska Airlines plane that had a door panel blow off in midair. Amid the company's ongoing struggles, CEO Dave Calhoun of Boeing announced his resignation by year's end, unrelated to Barnett's lawsuit.
