ATF Joins Investigation of Fatal Car Fire (Turton Death Unsolved)

WTOP.com ^ | 1/11/2011 | Darci Marchese

[Gabrial]

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work directly with D.C. Police to determine how 37-year-old Ashley Westbrook Turton's SUV became engulfed in flames in the garage of her home early Monday.

...the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has finished an autopsy on Turton. D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Chief of Staff Beverly Fields says more testing needs to be done to determine the cause and manner of death.

[ml/nj]

I didn't think the ATF had jurisdiction on anything until they were GIVEN it at WACO. (They were "revenuers.")

ML/NJ

[Gabrial]

My understanding is they were asked in by the DC police.

The BATFE does stuff like....

“Provide resource material to assist investigators with the identification of explosive material and techniques used to commit arsons and explosives related crimes”

http://www.atf.gov/explosives/groups/usbdc/

[bgill]

She was backing out slowly to get around the other car that was in the driveway. Cold sober. Being quiet not to wake the kids. She made it 1/8 of the way out before the explosion that killed her.

If she'd even got it into drive. I'd really like to have that question answered but if it's a cover up then one elbow bump to the gear shift and no one's the wiser.

FYI, the pictures I posted in #35 above should be read in reverse order if anyone needs to see it in more of a timeframe - the two family cars, her SUV partially outside the garage after tan car removed, and finally the empty garage. Here's another pic of the garage which shows the tan car had been removed and amazing that the trash container out on the curb hadn't been disturbed by all the commotion. Notice the driveway or alley is shared with the neighbors so she had to turn the steering wheel so that the passenger side front end would be to the right and the back end would be angled to the left to get around the tan car and be backing out to the shared driveway. Also, from the way the marks are on the driveway, the SUV was pulled out toward the shared driveway and then to the street - again, the trash directly behind the car wasn't disturbed. I'm also wondering if the steering wheel even had to be turned at that point because she was probably parked at an angle to begin with. Bottom line, this was no accident.

[bgill]

Meant to add that NO WAY could her driver’s side front end have hit the workbench.

[stockpirate]

If an explosive device or a fire bomb was used perhaps they could be called in.

[Gabrial]

“Bottom line, this was no accident.”

She must have had the car in reverse to get 1/8 of the way out of the garage....but what the heck stopped the car? If a fire started, I'd keep backing right up and get the heck out of there. Something happened VERY quickly that stopped the car, killed her, reduced the workbench to rubble, and started a fire. There was a VERY short time between the event and when the police were called by a neighbor. The Fire Department was there in minutes and had it out in no time.

The first fire investigators on the scene were using words like “odd” “strange” “mysterious” to describe the scene.

Now radio silence, and explosive experts are called in.

[Gabrial]

“Meant to add that NO WAY could her driver’s side front end have hit the workbench.”

Agreed on that. Which is why you would put a workbench in that location in the first place.

[SunkenCiv]

Because there’s details of the case which are not being publicized; or, possibly, there are details of the case unknown to the local gendarmes, but which need to be obscured and buried before they lead back to the White House. See, Palin-hating media, two can play that game. A-holes.

Thanks justiceseeker93.

[The Comedian]

ATF was probably there to Waco the remaining structure, but they screwed up. Not to worry, and anti-evidence bulldozers will show up soon.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[bgill]

Something happened VERY quickly that stopped the car

Agreed.

[Gabrial]

“Wrapping Progress into Duke would create the nation’s largest publicly traded electric utility.”

“Meanwhile, several law offices issued press releases saying they’d be investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty by the Progress board. In other words, had the company been shopped around in search of a higher price? And if not, why not?”

“Vying to lead a lawsuit on behalf of shareholders is nothing new, but when six law firms — and maybe more — jump on a deal on such short notice, one has to wonder whether underwhelmed shareholders might not prove an even tougher crowd than regulators.”

http://www.firetown.com/blog/2011/01/11/the-energy-merger-ashley-turton-was-involved-in/

“As of noon Monday, authorities had not publicly identified the victim. But Pete Rouse, interim White House chief of staff, sent an email to the staff on Monday informing them of the tragedy.”

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/paul-duggan/-the-wife-of-a.html

[PennsylvaniaMom]

This reads like a John Grisham novella.

So many questions and ways for this to go off in to explore. Was this some type of warning salvo for some discrepancy in the merger? Was this some sort of ‘quieting’ of knowledge she had (remember, she worked for Rosa DeLauro who ‘rented’ to Rahm Emmanuel when he first move to DC). Was this due to something her husband ‘knew’ about something WH related?

Was the starter sabotaged, so when ignition turned, kaboom? But not so much an explosion given the structural standing of the garage. This was a quick and intense fire. So quickly engulfing the driver/front seat that the back seat looks barely scathed. That in itself is beyond odd.

[shield]

Husband has to be the #1 suspect.

[sheik yerbouty]

Stedman and Butch want to take care of loose ends..

[crosslink]

Found this on the net:

ashley turton federal reserve

Being the curious man I am, I decided to look a bit and found the following at the economicpolicyjournal:
The rumors are swirling big time in D.C. Here’s what one anonymous commenter wrote at my earlier post:
Now this gets interesting, because Rosa DeLauro owned the house in which Rahm Emanuel lived rent-free during House sessions for five years. Word from DC is that the place was wired for audio and video. Ashley Turton, as DeLauro’s chief of staff, probably wrote the checks to pay bills on that condo and would be privy to “extra” expenses.

[crosslink]

Here is video of the fire: if someone can down load this and save it I would appreciate it.
Found a video on YouTube of the firefighters battling the blaze.

Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBOljs2Pfb0

[crosslink]

Can you say Apollo group, this is a message to anyone who worked on legislation with tides,Apollo or any other entity. Keep your mouth shut in hearings Turton serves as President Barack Obama’s point man for guiding his legislative agenda through the House. Though he was officially appointed to the job in January 2009, Turton started working well before that date with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to convince key players to support the president’s $800 billion economic stimulus package. 
Turton worked to push the White House’s agenda throughout the 111th Congress, one of the most productive in history, and continues to liaise with Congress as the White House ramps up for Obama’s reelection.

.

[crosslink]

January 10, 2011 1:54:16 PM EST · 52 of 308
crosslink to spokeshave
This is interesting they both worked here, firm was tied to leak of McCain info and represented Freddy Mac. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timmons_%26_Company

[Justa]

The car was unrecognizable? In earlier pictures, before it was removed from the garage, it was clearly visible and in good order only the front of the vehicle had fire damage.

[Gabrial]

“Neighbors described hearing a crash followed by several popping sounds.”

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read.php?40,482339,482339,quote=1