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Wife Charged with Murder, Parrot Possible Star Witness

It’s a case that could come down to what the bird heard.
Family members believe an African grey parrot named "Bud" may have witnessed the fatal shooting of his owner.
Family members believe an African grey parrot named "Bud" may have witnessed the fatal shooting of his owner.woodTV
Family members believe an African grey parrot named "Bud" may have witnessed the fatal shooting of his owner.
Family members believe an African grey parrot named "Bud" may have witnessed the fatal shooting of his owner.WOODTV

It’s a case that could come down to what the bird heard, as a Michigan prosecutor decides if a parrot can be used as some type of witness in a murder case.

Martin Duram, 45, was shot and killed in his Michigan home in May 2015 in what police first thought was a double homicide. Duram's wife, Glenna, had also been shot, in the head, but police realized an hour later she was still alive.

But last week, Glenna was charged with first-degree murder in connection with her husband’s death.

In a video taken several weeks after the murder, the couple’s African grey parrot named "Bud," who is now being cared for by family members, can be heard saying, "Don't f—ing shoot." The bird, family members say, can be heard mimicking both Martin and Glenna as if they were arguing.

"I personally think he was there, and he remembers it and he was saying it," Duram's father, Charles Duram, told woodTV.

Police records detail financial and gambling problems in the couple's marriage, and Michigan police say Glenna left several suicide notes. Glenna later denied doing so in an interview with detectives, although handwriting analysis matched her handwriting to that in notes, the station reported.

Glenna Duram is being held in Newaygo County Jail without bond.