The current AG came into office with the DoJ having been accused of being soft on executive crimes by allowing defendants to pay fines and not serve anytime. I think with this new interest by the DoJ to go after this sort of crime it would have negated a sweetheart deal.

Excellent points and you have to think that played into this.

It's sounding more and more like Aubrey was in very serious criminal trouble and knew it.

Speculation on pleading out to avoid prison time is just that. Judges also have to accept the deal. Martha Stewart was sent to prison not for financial impropriety but for the offense of lying to federal agents. The current AG came into office with the DoJ having been accused of being soft on executive crimes by allowing defendants to pay fines and not serve anytime. I think with this new interest by the DoJ to go after this sort of crime it would have negated a sweetheart deal.
Maybe but him being singled out and the only executive charged under the Sherman suggests they were reaching to hit him with something. A guilty plea would establish precedent, no plea Aubrey takes it to trial and gets a not guilty verdict (you thought oj had a legal dream team?) good luck ever doing that again.

We don't know what his schedule was like so we can't really speculate. I'm sure his security team and family knows whether or not going to his tree farm that time of day was normal or not. They of course would keep quiet out of respect.
There was no speculation on his security team as they reported him missing to the OKCPD.

This seems to have been missed but my understanding is that Aubrey owns a second home out at Lake Arcadia and he was likely coming from there and heading towards work.

Maybe but him being singled out and the only executive charged under the Sherman suggests they were reaching to hit him with something. A guilty plea would establish precedent, no plea Aubrey takes it to trial and gets a not guilty verdict (you thought oj had a legal dream team?) good luck ever doing that again.

You do know the odds of that right? (> 90 % conviction rate) You also have to get the judge to buy off on a plea. U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron had a case come back for not giving prison time to Mike Morgan. I believe that case coming back sent a message to the US Attorney's and more importantly the federal bench.

This seems to have been missed but my understanding is that Aubrey owns a second home out at Lake Arcadia and he was likely coming from there and heading towards work.

Not if he was driving north. From where the crash occurred, North would be heading toward Arcadia

You do know the odds of that right? You also have to get the judge to buy off on a plea. U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron had a case come back for not giving prison time to Mike Morgan. I believe that case coming back sent a message to the US Attorney's and more importantly the federal bench.
A high profile generally well liked businessman who would likely assemble one of the best legal teams for his defense and the charges on relatively shaky ground? Id put it at 50/50.

you don't know how precedent works do you? They took a risk charging him using the Sherman act how that case turns out establishes precedent for all future cases. He gets off and you can't use it anymore, he'd plea out to avoid a trial, and they would off one to get a guarenteed win.

Not if he was driving north. From where the crash occurred, North would be heading toward Arcadia

Ah, for some reason I thought he was headed south.

Plus I really doubt he would be going to work less than 24 hours after being indicted. I think he knew this road, he knew this bridge, and he knew what he was doing.

Yeah, why would he be driving out to Lake Arcadia at 9AM on a business day?

I'm sure many more details will come out that explain where he started the trip and where they think he might have been going.

Here is the bridge heading north...

Someone said that if it was intentional he wouldn't have veered left of center and merely hit the bridge on the right side of the road.

But as you can see here, there was no way to hit the right side squarely:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/aubrey1.jpg

Here is the bridge heading north...

Someone said that if it was intentional he wouldn't have veered left of center and merely hit the bridge on the right side of the road.

But as you can see here, there was no way to hit the right side squarely:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/aubrey1.jpg

Lets say he's texting drops his phone in the passenger seat leans over to grab it and veers left. Reaching right often cause someone to drift left.

The vehicles black box could help piece it together.

If he is going 60 and then about 200 yards before the bridge starts to floor it, suicide.
If he was going a consistent 100mph+, maybe suicide, maybe accident, maybe heart attack.
If he hit the brakes, maybe accident or maybe suicide with second thoughts.

A high profile generally well liked businessman who would likely assemble one of the best legal teams for his defense and the charges on relatively shaky ground? Id put it at 50/50.

you don't know how precedent works do you? They took a risk charging him using the Sherman act how that case turns out establishes precedent for all future cases. He gets off and you can't use it anymore, he'd plea out to avoid a trial, and they would off one to get a guarenteed win.
Just curious as to how you would know how shaky the grounds were, Did you have access to all the discovery in this case? Yeah I know how precedent works and I also know Kenneth Lay had a dream team at his disposal in Texas. How did that work out?

Lets say he's texting drops his phone in the passenger seat leans over to grab it and veers left. Reaching right often cause someone to drift left.

The vehicles black box could help piece it together.

If he is going 60 and then about 200 yards before the bridge starts to floor it, suicide.
If he was going a consistent 100mph+, maybe suicide, maybe accident, maybe heart attack.
If he hit the brakes, maybe accident or maybe suicide with second thoughts.

The police reported no skid marks, hence no hitting the brakes.

If you are wanting to be in violent accident that is the best bridge to do it. That is solid concrete in a not heavily traveled area.

If reports are true, the fact that he took a CNG vehicle, slipped away from his security team two hours before appearing before a judge, and heading on road that he wouldn't have any reason to take makes it appear that he had a plan. But just speculation at this point.

Just curious as to how you would know how shaky the grounds were, Did you have access to all the discovery in this case? Yeah I know how precedent works and I also know Kenneth Lay had a dream team at his disposal in Texas. How did that work out?

Being the first person in 100 years charged under a law is what I would call shaky grounds, especially when what they are accusing him of is more less standard operating procedure. You admitted it yourself there's a political witch hunt element to this they want to throw a high profile businessman in jail.

They'd be pretty motivated to make sure they win that case.

The police reported no skid marks, hence no hitting the brakes.

You know you don't have make skid marks when you brake right?

If he was lightly breaking on and off up to the crash, that can suggest he was just driving like a mad man and crashed.
If he hadn't braked in a mile and his speed was ramped up shortly before the crash it points toward intentional.

I think you're just mad Aubrey won't see a prison cell.

This seems to have been missed but my understanding is that Aubrey owns a second home out at Lake Arcadia and he was likely coming from there and heading towards work.

The only problem with that theory is he was heading northbound on Midwest Blvd, toward Lake Arcadia, when the wreck occurred. I verified this by comparing published pictures of the scene with Google Maps Street View imagery.

I feel more and more that this was no accident; the abutment for the I-44 overpass is a solid, vertical wall of concrete close to the road surface - not sloped like most abutments in this state. Structurally, it's much stronger and more likely to withstand an impact of that magnitude than, say, a centerline pillar, without giving way and endangering drivers crossing the bridge; additionally, there are no guard rails protecting that concrete wall. He struck the wall on the driver's side of center, at an extremely high rate of speed, driving a large CNG-powered vehicle that would have a much higher likelihood of catching fire after a serious accident versus a gasoline-powered vehicle - all while not restrained in the vehicle by a seat belt. The road the wreck happened on, Midwest Blvd, has a fairly low average daily traffic count (1200 vpd in 2014) in that area, so there would be much less of a chance of injuring others. That, combined with the circumstantial evidence (indictment, likelihood of incarceration, loss of control of AEP, etc), tells me that suicide is a likely reason for this accident.

Unfortunately, we may never know for sure if the wreck was intentional or merely an accident. Regardless of his possible guilt, his death is a huge loss for our city. My heart goes out to his immediate and extended family right now.

In reference to the direction of going north toward Arcadia. Here is a thought...

He was going south to work or somewhere else in OKC. Passes under the bridge and decides to make a u-turn and go back north.

Here is the bridge heading north...

Someone said that if it was intentional he wouldn't have veered left of center and merely hit the bridge on the right side of the road.

But as you can see here, there was no way to hit the right side squarely:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/aubrey1.jpg

Not only that, but hitting the right abutment would impact the passenger side of his vehicle, making survival for the driver much more likely. Crossing left of center and hitting the left abutment would specifically impact the driver's side, making survival for the driver much less likely.

U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron had a case come back for not giving prison time to Mike Morgan.

Hey, come on. Interrupting prime time television just to say there's a storm system in the panhandle and it is not heading towards nor is it having any effect on the metro area is really bad, but shouldn't result in prison time...

I'm not familiar with the "black boxes" in modern cars that track speed, braking, etc. Would the one in his vehicle have been sufficiently shielded to survive the fire after the crash?

You know you don't have make skid marks when you brake right?

If he was lightly breaking on and off up to the crash, that can suggest he was just driving like a mad man and crashed.
If he hadn't braked in a mile and his speed was ramped up shortly before the crash it points toward intentional.

I think you're just mad Aubrey won't see a prison cell.

More speculation that is not true in this case. My speculation is you have checked your common sense somewhere along the line.

I'm not familiar with the "black boxes" in modern cars that track speed, braking, etc. Would the one in his vehicle have been sufficiently shielded to survive the fire after the crash?

The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) controller in most modern vehicles will record select vehicle data about a crash if the controller commands activation of any of it's systems, such as airbags or seatbelt tensioners. They're built pretty tough, and usually placed in locations that would shield them from all but the worst collision damage. Here's some more information on this: Automobile Crash Event Data Recorder Downloading (http://www.crashforensics.com/automobiledatarecorders.cfm)

Agreed -- it is strange for a man of his circumstances to ever find himself East of Broadway Extension.

But a buddy of mine (with decent knowledge about AKM) claims that he had some sort of orchard on that side of town, which he often frequented.

Aubrey McClendon was once the 3rd largest private land owner in the US. He had land all around the Arcadia area, Including Arcadia Tree Farm, and Arcadia Farms. He had plenty of business going on "east of Broadway Extension".

When I lived out in the Arcadia area, I saw him a few times, but never had direct dealings with him. I did deal with a few of his minions though.
He had a lot of stroke in that town for a while. Just in the town of Arcadia, except for a very small sliver of land across from the Round Barn, and Kolar farms, he owned everything along the south side of hwy 66, including Pop's, from about 1/2 mile west of Westminster Rd to Hiwassee Rd, and south to 178th. On the north side of hwy 66 from about 1/2 mile west of Westminster Rd to roughly Division St. and then from just east of Anderson Rd to Hiwassee Rd. Also south on Westminster to 164th and east to Anderson. And that's just a general estimate. He also had a lot of land surrounding where we lived to the south east of Arcadia, much of which he sold off around 2011-2012 or so.

All charges are being dismissed.

Haven't listened to them yet, but the 911 call tapes for this incident have been released: 911 calls: Aubrey McClendon 'swerved and hit the wall' (http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/03/03/911-calls-aubrey-mcclendon-swerved-and-hit-wall/81260914/)

Ditto. Almost never, I put the passenger seat belt into the drivers seat buckle to defeat the ding. I have been ticketed twice in Bethany. Drive too fast and I'm frequently distracted. If I run into a bridge, it wasn't suicide. I blame thousands and thousands of short trips over the years as part of my job starting well before it was the law.

Jesus, people... Wear your seatbelts!

Not to get off topic, yet, doesn't this entire current event call into question the validity and veracity of the concept behind Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs? The one that sort of looks like a pyramid? Topped with Self-Actualization. Of course it don't. Yet, doesn't it kinda suggest the question: "If you are so rich, how come you ain't smart." Rhetorical Question: Answer: I dunno.

Jesus, people... Wear your seatbelts!
What made a believer out of me was getting a ticket from a State Trooper while I was northbound on Penn in the direction of The Intersection From Hell without a wallet in my pocket. He charged me with two offenses: Littering (dropping a cigarette butt out the window) and Not Wearing A SeatBelt. He let me off with a warning on account of he was Kind and Understanding.

Not to get off topic, yet, doesn't this entire current event call into question the validity and veracity of the concept behind Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs? The one that sort of looks like a pyramid? Topped with Self-Actualization. Of course it don't. Yet, doesn't it kinda suggest the question: "If you are so rich, how come you ain't smart." Rhetorical Question: Answer: I dunno.

Maslow's Hierarchy is a theoretical construct that's meant to help understand human needs, not scientifically define them in hierarchy. People violate the hierarchy all the time. I wouldn't use it to try to explain a situation like this.

Anyone care to bet that there will be less "Fracking Wastewater" caused earthquakes locally? Not me. Aubrey McClendon was a Pillar of The Community . . . a Good, Decent, Generous Man. In my humble opinion. Even my wife agrees that, on balance, the Good that he did outweighs the other.

Maslow's Hierarchy is a theoretical construct that's meant to help understand human needs, not scientifically define them in hierarchy. People violate the hierarchy all the time. I wouldn't use it to try to explain a situation like this.

Yup. Can't Argue Rationally with that ^. Thanks for the suggestion not to do so. Or to so do. (con su permiso . . . =~) I still say he was probably dodging a deer or an errant squirrel while talking on a cellphone.

A few have brought up questions of whether he owned the vehicle or whether the fact that it was CNG powered would have factored into this, so I would like to clarify a few things:

For one, that was definitely one of the vehicles he drove, I've seen him driving it. The plate number on it was Thunder1 or Thunder2 or something to that effect. It was a Black Tahoe that was converted to a CNG bifuel vehicle that still had the ability to run on gasoline.

Secondly, If the CNG tanks ruptured catastrophically, they would definitely cause a large explosion, but that wouldn't cause the massive prolonged fire that occurred. Methane is lighter than air, so unlike gasoline or propane that puddle or pool under the vehicle, if the tanks were to catastrophically rupture, methane would dissipate quickly. No doubt that would damage the vehicle, but it should not cause a fire. The ignition point of CNG is too high too high at that concentration and the speed at which the gas would leave the tanks pressured at 3600 psi in a catastrophic rupture, wouldn't lend itself to ignition. When natural gas explosions occur, generally natural gas has mixed with air in confined space (say in a basement for example) in concentrations that fall within the flammability range (5%-15% concentration). Theoretically a catastrophic rupture could rupture the gasoline tank and cause a prolonged fire, but that was unlikely in this instance for the reasons below.

Third, CNG cylinders are extremely tough and it would've taken a massive direct impact to rupture them catastrophically enough to cause an explosion. Someone posted an article above about a train running over the tanks...it would take that type of direct impact to rupture them. This is important because the cylinders installed on his Tahoe (and the vast majority of them) are located at the rear of the vehicle in place of the spare tire. If you look at the pictures of the vehicle, you'll notice that the back of the vehicle near the bottom, where the CNG tanks are located, is almost completely undamaged. The back of the vehicle was the least impacted part of it, so it is very unlikely that even the massive frontal impact would've cause a catastrophic rupture that would've ruptured the gasoline tank and caused a fire. I'm sure the CNG fuel lines were affected but again, the CNG would be rushing out at such high pressure that it would be unlikely to ignite and definitely not cause the CNG tanks to rupture.

All that to say that the Tahoe being a CNG vehicle likely had nothing to do with the massive fire. Everyone defaults to the assumption that fuel under high pressure is less safe than gasoline and that is just not the case. Gasoline is one of the least safe and most volatile transportation fuels in use.

Also as others have mentioned, he did own a massive tree farm and ranch behind Pops that had a house, horses, etc.

Anyone care to bet that there will be less "Fracking Wastewater" caused earthquakes locally? Not me. Aubrey McClendon was a Pillar of The Community . . . a Good, Decent, Generous Man. In my humble opinion. Even my wife agrees that, on balance, the Good that he did outweighs the other.

Honestly why would this have anything to do with how the rest of the industry operates? Assets are still assets regardless of who operates them and they still have value. AEP Woodford is the only entity AKM controlled in Oklahoma and it will not go away because of his death. If it doesn't continue the spinoff plan to operate independently, it will be purchased by someone else who will develop those assets.

Just curious as to how you would know how shaky the grounds were, Did you have access to all the discovery in this case? Yeah I know how precedent works and I also know Kenneth Lay had a dream team at his disposal in Texas. How did that work out?

The charges brought against AKM were much less black and white than anything with Enron. I've been aware of this case for awhile and while I'm sure they had a solid case against him, the agreement between CHK & SD (as I understood it as an outsider without all the facts or inside knowledge) was a fairly common type of agreement in the oil and gas industry that has never drawn DOJ attention, hence AKM's comment that no one one in the industry has been charged for it under the Sherman Antitrust Act. Convicting him under it would set a very interesting precedent for how oil and gas companies operate going forward. In my opinion, he was being targeted because of his high profile and previous dealings with the law where others have flown under the radar for the last 100 years.

I live not to far from Aubrey's house in NH, and would often see him drive that black Tahoe that had been converted to CNG.

RIP Aubrey McClendon
You did great things for your community that needed vision.

I feel very bad for the family and friends… some of which I have known very well for over 50 years.

nm

All charges are being dismissed.

Oklahoma county requires a death certificate to dismiss. Curious the Feds are not waiting for an ME's report before dismissing.

The charges brought against AKM were much less black and white than anything with Enron. I've been aware of this case for awhile and while I'm sure they had a solid case against him, the agreement between CHK & SD (as I understood it as an outsider without all the facts or inside knowledge) was a fairly common type of agreement in the oil and gas industry that has never drawn DOJ attention, hence AKM's comment that no one one in the industry has been charged for it under the Sherman Antitrust Act. Convicting him under it would set a very interesting precedent for how oil and gas companies operate going forward. In my opinion, he was being targeted because of his high profile and previous dealings with the law where others have flown under the radar for the last 100 years.

Just for clarification. My comment about Ken Lay was not about the validity of the charges, but at the ability of a defendant to field a dream team of representation.

I, personally, didn't especially appreciate his land grab in the vicinity of NE 63 and Western. The well-crafted architectural colonial-styled Monopoly Hotel blocks, in brick, were un-winsome. That being said . . . I admired the dude. For his vision. Not for his driving skills. Mea Culpa. (Maxima).

A high profile generally well liked businessman who would likely assemble one of the best legal teams for his defense and the charges on relatively shaky ground? Id put it at 50/50.

you don't know how precedent works do you? They took a risk charging him using the Sherman act how that case turns out establishes precedent for all future cases. He gets off and you can't use it anymore, he'd plea out to avoid a trial, and they would off one to get a guarenteed win.

That's not how that works.

In a "typical" car accident the odds of a vehicle fire are very low. (Somewhere in the 2-3% range of all automobile accidents.) However, in a high speed frontal/head on collision those odds increase significantly. A high speed frontal collision often times shoves hot pieces of metal into places they're not meant to go. Fuel lines get sheared, engine blocks can crack, exposing already heated up oils, flammable fluids in reservoirs not meant for high impact split, holes get poked in gas tanks, and sparks fly. I can imagine a scenario where a cut fuel line sprays fuel around enough to start the fire, or the seam between the fuel tank and the rest of the fuel system breaks, or metal jams through the fuel tank. Typically cars/trucks don't explode like in the movies...but engine fire from a high speed frontal collision is not that unheard of.


Here's a number of things that can cause a fire in the event of a collision:

•Electrical short - if the battery is shorted (chassis comes in contact with the terminals or the alternator core is compromised), you can easily generate enough current to ignite the insulation or other plastics in the engine bay.
•Non-metals in contact with the exhaust system - If a rubber hose or plastic shroud is pressed against the exhaust manifold, it can easily reach the auto-ignition temperature and start a fire.
•Fuel leak - If the fuel line is ruptured, it can spill highly flammable gasoline. As liquid gasoline doesn't easily burn (gas must be atomized or vaporized in order to effectively burn), this one actually is not usually the source of the fire, but will definitely make any fire worse.

New Civil Antitrust Claims Filed Against Chesapeake, SandRidge Energy -- DALLAS, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-civil-antitrust-claims-filed-against-chesapeake-sandridge-energy-300230659.html)

DALLAS, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A class of oil and gas royalty owners has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy Corporation, SandRidge Energy Corp. and former SandRidge CEO Tom Ward.

The 14-page lawsuit, filed by attorneys with the Dallas-based law firm Burns Charest LLP, alleges that the defendants violated federal antitrust laws by rigging bids and limiting competition for oil and gas leases in northwest Oklahoma. The lawsuit states that the class could ultimately include thousands of affected royalty owners in the geological formation known as the Anadarko Basin Region.

"This case is about cleaning up the oil patch," says Burns Charest founder and co-managing partner Warren Burns, who represents the proposed class. "In a rush to reap illegal profits, the defendants violated the trust and confidence of these royalty owners. Their actions demonstrate that they were willing to betray my clients and violate the law. We are suing to recover damages and to promote legal competition in the oil and gas industry."

The case is Thieme v. Chesapeake Energy Corp., et al. filed in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma.

The attorneys at Burns Charest have years of experience in complex antitrust class actions and oil and gas royalty disputes. In late 2015, the firm secured a favorable, confidential settlement for members of the Bass family in Fort Worth as part of a separate lawsuit against Chesapeake over unpaid royalties for oil and gas-producing properties in north Texas.

Burns Charest is a Dallas and New Orleans-based trial law firm with a national practice representing consumers and businesses. The firm represents clients in large, complex class actions; antitrust claims; oil and gas royalty disputes; environmental pollution cases; and asbestos exposure claims. To learn more, visit Home - Burns Charest (http://www.burnscharest.com).

To clarify, just because the Feds might lose a case at trial, that doesn't mean they're risking the use of that statute in the future.

New Civil Antitrust Claims Filed Against Chesapeake, SandRidge Energy -- DALLAS, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-civil-antitrust-claims-filed-against-chesapeake-sandridge-energy-300230659.html)

DALLAS, March 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A class of oil and gas royalty owners has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy Corporation, SandRidge Energy Corp. and former SandRidge CEO Tom Ward.

The 14-page lawsuit, filed by attorneys with the Dallas-based law firm Burns Charest LLP, alleges that the defendants violated federal antitrust laws by rigging bids and limiting competition for oil and gas leases in northwest Oklahoma. The lawsuit states that the class could ultimately include thousands of affected royalty owners in the geological formation known as the Anadarko Basin Region.

"This case is about cleaning up the oil patch," says Burns Charest founder and co-managing partner Warren Burns, who represents the proposed class. "In a rush to reap illegal profits, the defendants violated the trust and confidence of these royalty owners. Their actions demonstrate that they were willing to betray my clients and violate the law. We are suing to recover damages and to promote legal competition in the oil and gas industry."

The case is Thieme v. Chesapeake Energy Corp., et al. filed in federal court in the Western District of Oklahoma.

The attorneys at Burns Charest have years of experience in complex antitrust class actions and oil and gas royalty disputes. In late 2015, the firm secured a favorable, confidential settlement for members of the Bass family in Fort Worth as part of a separate lawsuit against Chesapeake over unpaid royalties for oil and gas-producing properties in north Texas.

Burns Charest is a Dallas and New Orleans-based trial law firm with a national practice representing consumers and businesses. The firm represents clients in large, complex class actions; antitrust claims; oil and gas royalty disputes; environmental pollution cases; and asbestos exposure claims. To learn more, visit Home - Burns Charest (http://www.burnscharest.com).

I think we're starting to understand why the bankruptcy lawyers were called in for a consultation. They saw this possibility coming, even with the deal with the Feds, a civil lawsuit was pretty much going to happen. While this is not in and of itself a sign of bankruptcy (they may have been just consulting how to protect assets in general), there's a storm a-brewin' and things are about to get very very bad.

Oklahoma county requires a death certificate to dismiss. Curious the Feds are not waiting for an ME's report before dismissing.

My understanding is that a motion to dismiss was filed but no order issued.

I think we're starting to understand why the bankruptcy lawyers were called in for a consultation. They saw this possibility coming, even with the deal with the Feds, a civil lawsuit was pretty much going to happen. While this is not in and of itself a sign of bankruptcy (they may have been just consulting how to protect assets in general), there's a storm a-brewin' and things are about to get very very bad.

I think that's a bit melodramatic. I can't imagine it would be bigger than the class-action that they just settled that covered every royalty owner in Oklahoma. That was for $119 million. The current lawsuit would cover a much smaller number of people.

To clarify, just because the Feds might lose a case at trial, that doesn't mean they're risking the use of that statute in the future.

Exactly. And some people are throwing around the term "precedent" as if every case presented is exactly the same.

As we know, though, anti-trust cases are extremely fact specific. The difference between an "Area of Mutual Interest," a "Joint Operating Agreement," and "Bid Rigging" can be quite subtle.

I'm not familiar with the "black boxes" in modern cars that track speed, braking, etc. Would the one in his vehicle have been sufficiently shielded to survive the fire after the crash?

Automobile computers only record the last 3 to 5 seconds preceding a crash. Depending on the vehicle and how it's equipped, information such as speed, braking, steering, engine performance, fuel level, seatbelts usage, electronic usage, tire pressure, etc., can be captured. Basically what was going on with the vehicle in the moments right before impact.

They don't work like a flight data recorder where the whole aircraft performance is captured gate to gate.

Federal probe of bid-rigging goes beyond Aubrey McClendon | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/news/federal-probe-of-bidrigging-goes-beyond-aubrey-mcclendon/38343284?utm_campaign=KOCO&utm_content=56da13ae04d30170c8f7fca4&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=trueAnthem:%2BNew%2BContent)

Interesting take on this situation.

1) Implies that joint bidding was common but the parties were required to *disclose* they were working together; 2) that what CHK and SD were doing were outside the typical industry practices; and 3) that the government had been cracking down in recent years.

It also reminds us that CHK pleaded no contest in the Michigan case and paid a $25 million fine. So clearly, they were doing things outside the law under McClendon.

Perhaps the Oklahoma lease situation was more severe and/or perhaps this recent filing was due to finding more instances and the sum total caused them to seek harsher penalties.

I Ran into one of the firemen that made the call, pretty unreal details of how hot the fire was and what it done to the body. But before anyone knew who it was, he had called his wife and told her that, he was at the seen of an apparent suicide by the looks of things.

I was curious if the heat and flames would have cremated the body. It's hard to believe there was much left.

Not going to pretend to know what happened here in the moments before the wreck.
Not going to pretend anything put out as a statement by OKCPD on the matter means even a teeny tiny little sniggle to me.

I was curious if the heat and flames would have cremated the body. It's hard to believe there was much left.

When they moved the body it turned to dust

Good lord. But if that's the case, how can they possibly do any kind of toxicology exam as has been mentioned in the press?

When they moved the body it turned to dust


Ashes to ashes, funk to funky
We know Major Tom's a junkie
Strung out in heaven's high
Hitting an all-time low

Good lord. But if that's the case, how can they possibly do any kind of toxicology exam as has been mentioned in the press?
Not sure it burned a long time before the engine got there, the first on the scene came down the turnpike but couldn't get to him, so they had to call another station in.

I spent a good deal of time yesterday with a reporter for a national publication who is in town to cover this story.

He told me the report that Aubrey was due in court the day he died is absolutely false.