Time to look also at what was in the cargo hold. Severe turbulence could have upset something that wasn't supposed to be there. A hull breach caused by even a small chemical explosion at FL350 would cause an explosive decompression, which is what I think the ACARS information adds up to.
Whether the crew could recover would depend on what had been damaged during the initial event, but assuming they lost control there and then, the aircraft would break up on the way down due to g forces. Anything in contact with sparks and aviation fuel would catch fire, hence reports of spot fires on the ocean surface.