Attorney for Dead Boeing Whistleblowers Speaks Out

Newseek reported, "An attorney who represented the two Boeing whistleblowers who died in recent months said that the men were "heroes."

Brian Knowles told The New York Post: "These men were heroes. So are all the whistleblowers. They loved the company and wanted to help the company do better. They didn't speak out to be aggravating or for fame. They're raising concerns because people's lives are at stake."

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems turned whistleblower, died last week after contracting a sudden illness, his family said. His death came less than two months after a second Boeing whistleblower, John Barnett, was found dead with a gunshot wound that authorities said appeared to be self-inflicted.

Newsweek reached out to Knowles for further comment in an email sent outside of regular working hours.

Conspiracy theories have swirled around following the deaths, despite there being no evidence to suggest foul play in either case.

Suspicions were exacerbated when a self-described family friend of Barnett's claimed in a media interview that he had said: "If anything happens to me it's not suicide." Newsweek wasn't able to verify the claims of the supposed family friend.

Knowles, who was Barnett and Dean's attorney, told The Post that he was unsure what to make of Barnett's death.

"I knew John Barnett for seven years and never saw anything that would indicate he would take his own life," Knowles said. "Then again, I've never dealt with someone who did (commit suicide.) So maybe you don't see the signs. I don't know."

The Post noted that attorneys for the men hope that their deaths won't scare away 10 other Boeing whistleblowers.

Knowles noted that the Charleston, South Carolina, police are still finishing the investigation into Barnett's death and that testing will soon reveal more information about Dean's death."

For the full read, visit Newsweek.com.