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I was posting my #70 while unbeknownst to me, you were posting #68. Our #68 & #70 posts are the same, but they BOTH differ from your post #49, which is what I was referring to. "where officials alerted authorities of his whereabouts about 3 a.m.."

I thought that was a rather odd statement to begin with, as is "ended up at Oak Forest." I also wondered whether being transferred by private ambulance is typical.

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Kelly was found in a lumber yard near 173rd Street and Cicero Avenue in Country Club Hills late Friday, said the town’s mayor, Dwight Welch. Kelly ended up at Oak Forest Hospital, where officials alerted authorities of his whereabouts about 3 a.m., Welch said.

Kelly then was transferred by private ambulance to Stroger Hospital at 5:15 a.m. He was treated by doctors and pronounced dead at 10:46 a.m., said hospital spokesman Marcel Bright.

Police found vomit in the lumber yard parking lot, Welch said.

“We are treating this as a death investigation—it’s a possible homicide or suicide, but it’s a high-profile case so we have a homicide level investigation,” Welch said.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/09/sources-say-theyve-been-notified-key-blagojevich-probe-figure-is-dead.html

49 posted on Saturday, September 12, 2009 8:40:34 PM by Velveeta

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Kelly was found in a lumber yard near 173rd Street and Cicero Avenue in Country Club Hills late Friday, said the town’s mayor, Dwight Welch. Kelly arrived at Oak Forest Hospital at 11:15 p.m. Friday, said Marcel Bright, a Stroger Hospital spokesman.

At Oak Forest, he was treated and stabilized and doctors determined he needed additional treatment at Stroger, so he was transferred there by private ambulance, Bright said. Kelly arrived at Stroger at 5:15 a.m.

Kely was treated by doctors and pronounced dead at 10:46 a.m., said hospital spokesman Marcel Bright.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/09/sources-say-theyve-been-notified-key-blagojevich-probe-figure-is-dead.html

68 posted on Saturday, September 12, 2009 10:26:56 PM by Velveeta [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

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Kelly was found in a lumber yard near 173rd Street and Cicero Avenue in Country Club Hills late Friday, said the town’s mayor, Dwight Welch. Kelly arrived at Oak Forest Hospital at 11:15 p.m. Friday, said Marcel Bright, a Stroger Hospital spokesman.

At Oak Forest, he was treated and stabilized and doctors determined he needed additional treatment at Stroger, so he was transferred there by private ambulance, Bright said. Kelly arrived at Stroger at 5:15 a.m.

Kely was treated by doctors and pronounced dead at 10:46 a.m., said hospital spokesman Marcel Bright.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/09/sources-say-theyve-been-notified-key-blagojevich-probe-figure-is-dead.html

Posted by Jeff Coen, Jeremy Gorner, Kim Janssen at 3:10 p.m.; last updated at 7:49 p.m.

70 posted on Saturday, September 12, 2009 10:33:05 PM by thouworm

Key Blagojevich adviser Christopher Kelly dead

September 12, 2009

BY NATASHA KORECKI, MARK J. KONKOL AND ART GOLAB Staff Reporters

The man federal prosecutors pressured to cooperate in the corruption probe of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich died of an apparent aspirin overdose on Saturday, law enforcement sources said.

Christopher Kelly, 51, of Burr Ridge, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 10:46 a.m. An autopsy is scheduled for today, a Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office spokeswoman said.

Christopher Kelly, a key figure in the federal corruption investigation of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is dead, sources said.

Kelly pleads guilty to kickback scheme Bank forecloses on Kelly home Gambling adviser a high-roller

Kelly was Blagojevich’s “go-to guy” who once was the mastermind of the ex-governor’s lucrative campaign fund.

Kelly’s death comes just four days after he pleaded guilty to a scheme involving $8.5 million in fraud at O’Hare Airport. It was the second conviction he notched this year -- he still faced trial along with the ex-governor, in June. Kelly had been indicted three times since 2007 but refused to become a cooperating witness. When he pleaded guilty to the O’Hare scheme Tuesday, Kelly spoke of feeling intense pressure by prosecutors to abandon his loyalty to Blagojevich and cooperate with the feds.

Chicago police are investigating Kelly’s death. A source familiar with the investigation told the Chicago Sun-Times that Kelly, who is married, called a woman identified as his “girlfriend” and told her that he took some pills and was going to kill himself.

The woman picked up Kelly near 170th and Cicero in Country Club Hills, where Kelly reportedly vomited. Police were taking samples of the vomit and searching for evidence, the source said.

The girlfriend then drove Kelly to Oak Forest Hospital, dropped him off and called police to report she did so, the source said.

Oak Forest Hospital does not have a trauma unit and was unable to treat Kelly, who then was rushed to Stroger Hospital in an ambulance.

Blagojevich released a statement through his publicist.

“I am deeply saddened to hear that Chris has died. My heart goes out to his wife Carmen, his three daughters Grace, Jacqueline and Claire and his entire family. They are in our prayers,” Blagojevich said. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1767469,christopher-kelly-blagojevich-dead-091209.article#