Aubrey McClendon's strange death in a fiery crash was ruled accidental by an Oklahoma medical examiner, who said there wasn't enough evidence to prove the energy industry magnate and Oklahoma City Thunder part-owner intentionally drove his SUV into a bridge wall.
McClendon, 56, died in Oklahoma City on March 2, the day after being indicted by a federal grand jury, when his SUV smashed into a concrete support at 78 mph and burst into
flames, The Associated Press reported.
An autopsy report released Wednesday said medical examiners found no alcohol in his system and only traces of a drug commonly found in sleep aids.
The former CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp. was indicted for allegedly conspiring to rig the bidding process for natural gas drilling rights in Oklahoma. He vowed to fight the allegations, but died the next day. Police found no evidence that he tried to avoid the crash. His vehicle reached 88 mph with the gas pedal floored until 1 and a half seconds before impact, the AP reported.
"We spoke to anybody who may have had contact with him after he found out about the indictment," Oklahoma City Police Capt. Paco Balderrama told the AP. "He did not leave anything that would be interpreted as a suicide note or message."
The report said he died of "multiple blunt force trauma" and was badly burned, and suffered fractures to his ribs, bones in his
arms and legs, and his pelvis, Reuters reported.
Paul Thompson, chief cardiologist at
Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, told The Wall Street Journal that he is "almost certain a heart problem didn’t cause the crash," but a possible arrhythmia wouldn't show up in an autopsy.
The Journal said it is unclear whether the ruling will affect a probate case, in which creditors have filed claims for hundreds of millions of dollars from McClendon's estate.
The AP said the ruling will make little, if any, difference in the case, citing legal experts who said life insurance policies held for at least years in the state must be paid regardless of cause of death and that the ruling also makes no difference in settling McClendon's estate.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.