It is widely recognized that for the Kennedys, tragedy has come often and from unexpected quarters. The film-maker Rory Kennedy, born six months after the assassination of her father Robert Kennedy, has known her share. But in 2024, it was a loss outside the political dynasty that shook her to the core.
John Barnett, a quality inspector turned whistleblower at Boeing, one of the world’s biggest plane manufacturers, was found dead in his truck outside a hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Affectionately known as “Swampy” because of his roots in Louisiana, Barnett had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
