This Parrot Might Have Witnessed a Murder, And He’s Breaking His Silence

A talking parrot is a possible witness to a crime after he was heard repeating words that hinted on the murder of his owner.

Martin Duram, 45, was shot and killed in his Michigan home in May 2015, while his wife Glenna suffered a gunshot wound in her head but survived.

According to NBC News, police initially thought it to be a double homicide case. But investigators now list Glenna as a suspect in her husband's murder, suggesting that it was a murder-suicide attempt. Glenna has denied allegations and has not been charged.

However, an unlikely witness has emerged: the couple's pet parrot.

Bud, the African grey parrot, is now in the custody of family members. But they said it was unsettling to hear Bud repeat this foul phrase: "Don't f---ing shoot!" 

In a video of the parrot, which was taken several weeks after Martin was shot, the family said that the bird was mimicking both Martin and Glenna as they were arguing. And then all of a sudden, the parrot shouted out the phrase repeatedly.

"I personally think he was there and he remembers it and he was saying it," Duram's father, Charles Duram, said in an interview with woodTV.

Relatives of the victim said that they believe that the bird has remembered Martin's final moments and that he is trying to relive the incident.

The Witness Speaks Up

In a report published in TheStar, owner of Casa La Parrot Doreen Plotkowski said that the African grey parrots typically vocalize phrases they've heard many times, but they are also capable of using words they've heard only on a few occasions.

Upon seeing the video, Plotkowski said that she "definitely" heard the bird mimicking an argument between a man and a woman.

According to police reports, the couple's marriage had been plagued by financial and gambling problems. Michigan police also said Glenna had left several suicide notes, but she denied doing so despite a positive match during a handwriting analysis.

Police reports also showed that a witness asked the police whether a parrot can be used as a witness to a crime, but records do not confirm whether the question was answered.

Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springsted told the media that he was aware that the couple had a parrot but had not seen the video yet. He said that he plans to make a decision on charges in two or three weeks after the outcome of Michigan State Police's investigation.