Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Parrot's role as murder trial witness thrown into doubt by lawyers

Practical problems raised include those involving the bird having to swear an oath

Will Worley
Tuesday 07 June 2016 17:49 BST
Comments
Family believe bird witnessed murder as it keeps saying 'Don't f****** shoot'

The unlikely prospect of a parrot giving evidence in court appears to have receded after prosecutors expressed doubts over legal precedent for the move.

Relatives of Martin Duram, who was shot dead in May 2015, believe the African grey, named Bud, was in the room at the time of a shooting which also left his wife, Glenna, with a bullet wound to the head but alive.

The bird belonged to the deceased and has apparently been caught on video saying “don’t f*cking shoot”, which the family believe could be crucial evidence of an attempted murder-suicide by Ms Duram.

They want the police to use the parrot as a witness.

However, lawyers have raised doubts about the strength of the parrot’s testimony.

"I'm not aware of any legal precedent for that," Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springstead told The Associated Press.

"Certainly, as we work our way through the case, that may be something to look at, but I highly doubt there is any precedent for that."

Mr Springstead, who had not heard the footage of the parrot uttering the phrase, also emphasised the practical problems with a bird would have swearing an oath.

"To a parrot, are you raising a wing, a foot?" he said.

No charges have yet been filed in the case and Mr Duram's death from five gunshot wounds at his home in Ensley Township, Michigan, remains under investigation. His wounds appeared not to be self-inflicted, Mr Springstead said.

But Mr Duram’s parents told Wood TV they were frustrated that nobody had been charged over the death and that the police investigation is still ongoing.

"As soon as I receive the investigation, I will make a charging decision," the prosecutor continued. "I expect that to happen in the next few weeks."

Ms Duram has denied the accusations against her. “I know for a fact I didn’t kill my husband,” she told police.

However, relatives of Mr Duram believe the parrot could be the key to solving the case.

“That bird picks up everything and anything, and it’s got the filthiest mouth around,” said Mr Duram’s mother Lillian.

Mr Duram’s father, Charles, said: “I personally think he [Bud] was there and he remembers it and he was saying it.”

Christina Keller, Mr Duram’s ex-wife, now owns the parrot and has also alleged the bird is repeating Mr Duram's last words.

The incident was initially thought to be a shooting by a third party, but police have listed Glenna Duram as a suspect.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in