Executive at Freddie Mac Is Found Dead

[jefferson_dem]

Executive at Freddie Mac Is Found Dead
By CHARLES DUHIGG

David B. Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of the troubled mortgage giant Freddie Mac, was found dead Wednesday morning at his home in Northern Virginia, the police said.

The executive apparently committed suicide by hanging himself, according to people with knowledge of the investigation.

A spokeswoman for the Fairfax County police said there were no signs of foul play. A police spokesman said that they would not comment on whether a note was found, but did say that no files or anything except the body have been removed from the house.

Police were called to the home at 4:48 a.m., reportedly by Mr. Kellermann’s family. His body was taken away by the Fairfax Coroners Office shortly before 9 a.m. By then, the large home about 20 minutes outside Washington was surrounded by eight television trucks and about two dozen reporters. When a neighbor in a car inquired what had happened, and was told of Mr. Kellermann’s death, she began screaming and drove away.

Mr. Kellermann, 41, had been Freddie Mac’s chief financial officer since September. He was named to the position when the federal government seized the company and ousted its top executives last fall. In recent weeks, according to neighbors and company officials, Mr. Kellermann had received a bonus of about $800,000. Such bonuses — which totaled $210 million for executives at Freddie Mac and its sibling company Fannie Mae — caused some controversy earlier this month, and some lawmakers called for them to be rescinded.

According to neighbors, Mr. Kellermann hired a private security firm after reporters came to his house to ask about his bonus.

Mr. Kellermann was also involved in recent tense conversations with the company’s federal regulator over its public disclosures. Freddie Mac executives wanted to emphasize to investors that the company was being run for the benefit of the government, rather than shareholders.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/23freddie.html?_r=1&em=&pagewanted=print

[VeraAgnes]

1. Well.it looks like Senator Grassley's suggestion, for these CEO's to kill themselves

had a listening ear. I hope some reporter goes to the Senator Grassley and revisits his recommendation now that someone has done the deed.

[Renew Deal]

2. That's the first thing I thought.

Before I even saw the cause of death.

[ClarkUSA]

8. If Grassley was a Dem, Ed Henry/Chip Reid/Jake Tapper would ask him whether he felt good about this.

[vaberella]

10. First thing that crossed my mind. n/t

[seaker]

3. Startling news

[galaxy21]

4. I thought things like this would start happening

[seaker]

6. Really?

[BeFree]

5. Wimp?

Or just doing the right thing by committing hari-kari, like the Japanese officials who disgrace themselves?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. Give him the benefit of doubt, go with hari-kari. n/t

[BeFree]

11. Reasonable.

Maybe even the preferred option? RIP, Mr. Whatever.

[onenote]

16. can you identify a specific thing he did that warrants you're essentially wishing him dead?

[BeFree]

17. Wishing him dead?

Uhm, he is dead, I didn't wish anything. Just wondered why. Was he disgraced? Probably. Why shouldn't he be?

[onenote]

18. I think suggesting he did the "right thing" is a bit more than wondering why.

And again, what do you think he specificaly did that constituted a disgrace?

[seaker]

7. Any word on if a note was found?

[uponit7771]

21. No note was found, guy got 800k bonus and hired security guards...

...I don't smell suicide there

[butterfly77]

12. ?

[uponit7771]

13. AFTER getting 800k bonus ...AND hiring security gaurds...this isn't an accident

[onenote]

15. not an accident - suicide

And if you have some evidence that its not, I'd be interested in seeing it

[uponit7771]

20. I have the same evidence they do, none...no note, 800k bonus, hired security. There are

...few people I know right left stupid who think this is a suicide looking at the facts that are in front of us.

[jberryhill]

29. That's quite open minded of you...

Of course a person of his age having been elevated to that position a few months ago would not allow stress of such a high profile appointment to be a contributing factor to one of the most common causes of human death.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. That's a tragedy. I hope they catch the guy that done it.

[Jennicut]

19. That is very disturbing.

I have suffered from depression myself so sometimes you just never know why people may do something like this. You never know about foul play but sounds like it was a legitimate suicide so far.

[jazzjunkysue]

22. "No foul play." A CIA specialty.

[onenote]

23. and exactly why would this guy be a cia target?

Maybe the 11 year old gay kid who was bullied and hung himself was a cia target too?

[jazzjunkysue]

28. maybe he knew too much.....about important people

[onenote]

30. what sort of important people? and how many other people above

him know about these same important people? should we be expecting a couple more CIA hits? A dozen? A hundred?

BTW: who killed vince foster?

[jazzjunkysue]

34. OK you're not new on here, so, since you're looking for me to be some kind of

inside government informant, or private investigator or fortune teller, please just put me on ignore from now on. OK?

This is a discussion and that includes speculation. If you're going to demand detailed explanations with names, dates, locations, credit card receipts, for every post that speculates about an idea on this board, you're either crazy or a freeper.

So just ignore me, because that's what you'll get from me from now on.

[jberryhill]

35. So if someone does actually commit suicide....

...then there would be signs of foul play?

I don't understand the logic there.

On the basis of:

1. Dead Guy Hanging At Home, and
2. No Signs Of A Struggle

One can go with:

A. Guy hung himself, or

B. Person(s) entered house undetected and unseen, and managed to rig up a noose, get it around a guy's neck and hang him after securing his cooperation in an amicable manner so as not to leave any signs of a fight; and then leave undetected.

Hmmm... Definitely B.

[stillcool]

24. there are never any signs of foul play...

[Beacool]

25. I'm terribly sorry that he chose to end his life.

He had a family and it must be devastating for them. In the long run, it's only money and not worth dying over.

:(

Grassley's comments on the other hand, were crass and irresponsible.

:thumbsdown:

[BlooInBloo]

26. Is there any knowledge about him being about to squeal on anybody for anything?

[Orsino]

27. Dead after working nonstop.

Sometimes they just die. While I could see his money as a motive for murder by a family member, I'm not sure why we should leap to the assumption of murder. Or suicide.

[northernlights]

31. because he was found hanging

You work to death with a heart attack or stroke.

He was hanged. Somebody put a noose around his neck.

[Orsino]

32. I'm obviously reading the wrong news story. n/t

[jberryhill]

36. "Somebody put a noose around his neck."

...and without so much as damaging the furniture.

Did he cooperate with them?

[BeyondGeography]

33. He was depressed

It's irrational, especially for someone so young and with a small child, to do this. It was an impulsive and tragic act.