Complex sentence: In 1977, seven years after the death of Morris Markin, former GM President Ed Cole bought into Checker with the intent of energizing the company, shortly thereafter Cole was killed when his plane crashed near Kalamazoo.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1977, seven years after the death of Morris Markin, former GM President Ed Cole bought into Checker with the intent of energizing the company. Shortly thereafter, Cole was killed when his plane crashed near Kalamazoo.