The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Christopher Kelly died Saturday of an overdose of aspirin. The 51 year old Kelly was a fund-raiser for former Governor Rod Blagojevich, and was apparently Blagojevich’s “go-to” guy. Kelly, who was being pressured to cooperate with federal prosecutors in the criminal investigation of Blagojevich, had been indicted on three separate federal cases, but had repeatedly refused to cooperate on the Blagojevich investigation. There seems to be some confusion about the scene of his demise, some stories saying he was found by his girlfriend in a lumber yard and who drove him to a hospital and others saying he was found by his family at home. I suppose we shall know eventually, but one thing about the sudden and unexpected death of Christopher Kelly is clear: Blagojevich and his cronies can undoubtedly breathe a bit easier about now. Of course this very convenient death raises the question of just how unexpected was it, and how easy is it to commit suicide by aspirin. Kelly apparently lived by his own personal honor code of loyalty. Did someone see that that loyalty would not be compromised?     

 

 

Oh cynical minds to think such ill

Of good men such as Kelly

It looks suspicious yes, but still

To say that it looks smelly

Would be demeaning to the kind

Of guys who run Chicago

He would have lived could girlfriend find

His pal Dr. Zhivago

I understand his ward boss friends

At Mass the other morning

Decided that the means and ends

Should come with little warning

The site they chose, a lumber yard

A place no DA spy would

Detect a thing no mat how hard

He looked among the plywood

And so ‘twas done and done quite well

The Guv and all his cronies

Can sit and smile and say of Kell

The man sure had cajones