After repeating what was believed to be the victim’s “final words,” a parrot was regarded as an improbable “key witness” in a murder prosecution.
Martin Duram was shot five times with a. 22-calibre handgun before he passed away in his Michigan home in May 2015.
Glenna, his wife, was discovered next to him, still alive but with one gunshot wound, which, according to the prosecution, indicated a botched suicide attempt.
The couple, who had been together for 11 years, testified in court about how they often chatted every day, but their neighbour had grown worried after not hearing from them for two days. Before authorities arrived and realised Glenna was still alive, she thought they were both dead when she eventually entered the house and discovered both of their bodies on the floor of the bedroom.
As he touched Glenna to check her pulse, Sgt. Gary Wilson said in court that she asked, “What are you doing?” as her eyes shot open and her body trembled.
Two years later, a Michigan jury in Newaygo County found Glenna guilty of first-degree murder following eight hours of deliberation.
According to The Detroit News, police files showed that the couple had been having money problems before the shooting, which had been made worse by Glenna’s addiction to gambling.
Under the loveseat, investigators discovered the murder weapon, a Ruger Single-Six.
A parrot was another item that almost materialised as important proof.
Bud, Martin’s pet parrot, kept repeating the words “Don’t [expletive] shoot,” which was said in his voice after he passed away. Bud was taken in by Martin’s ex-wife Christina Keller.
“I think it’s a piece of the puzzle,” Keller told As It Happens.
“I think it’s possible to last words.
“I truly believe, with all my heart, most of that comes from that night.”
After it sent chills down her spine, Keller decided to record the parrot’s unusual phrase.
“It terrified me,” she said.
“I hear screaming, yelling and fear.”
There was some evidence to back Keller’s theory at the time, according to Newago County Prosecutor Robert Springstead, but the prosecution ultimately decided against using the parrot in court proceedings.
Keller said, “I read the police report. You need to talk to that bird, stated about four of your neighbours.
“I know it sounds absurd, but that’s how smart Bud is and how much people thought he saw this,” said Bud.
The state’s Court of Appeals rejected Glenna’s plea for a new trial in 2019. Glenna claimed that the prosecution’s use of mobile data as evidence in the case violated her rights.
The Supreme Court denied her request to appeal the verdict the following year, stating that it was “not persuaded that the questions raised should be considered by this Court.”
Glenna is currently serving a life sentence in the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan, claims The Cinemaholic.
