Martin Duram died from a gunshot wound at his home in Sand Lake, Michigan, in May 2015. His wife, Glenna Duram, fired the shot in front of the family pet, an African grey parrot named Bud, and then attempted to take her own life with the same weapon. She survived with a head wound.
What no one expected was that Bud, over time, began repeating a phrase in Martin’s voice: “Don’t shoot!”. Christina Keller, Martin’s ex-wife and the parrot’s owner, believes the bird was repeating exact fragments of the argument that preceded the shooting.
The prosecutor considered using those words as evidence, but dismissed the idea: a parrot cannot testify. After one day of deliberation, the jury found 49-year-old Glenna guilty of first-degree murder. She will be sentenced next month, while the phrase Bud repeated continues to intrigue those familiar with the case.