‘Filthy mouthed’ parrot a possible murder witness

By Kiri Blakeley and Joel Christie For Dailymail.com

Michigan – A woman accused of killing her husband in an attempted murder-suicide with their pet parrot as the only witness appeared in court for the first time.  Glenna Duram, 46, is charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting her husband, Martin, 45, and then turning the gun on herself in their Newaygo County’s Ensley Township home in Michigan. She survived.

The alleged murder-suicide has drawn attention for its unusual witness – the couple’s pet parrot. Weeks after his death, Martin Duram’s family recorded the bird ‘parroting’ what they believe to be the victim’s last words: ‘Don’t f***ing shoot!’  The prosecutor says he hasn’t ruled out putting the African grey parrot, Bud, on the stand.

At the preliminary hearing on Friday to decide if the case goes to trial, a neighbor, Connie Ream, testified how she was the first one to find the couple.  She said she heard two gunshots in the morning, and thought that Martin might be hunting, but that it was too early.  The next day, she went to check on her neighbors and found them on the floor in the bedroom, with neither one moving. Martin had been shot five times.

Martin’s mother, Lillian Duram, insists the parrot, Bud, recounts what sounds like an argument – changing voices from male to female.

‘That bird picks up everything and anything, and it’s got the filthiest mouth around,’ she said.

‘I personally think he was there and he remembers it and he was saying it,’ said Martin’s father, Charles.

After the shooting, Glenna told police she did not remember the day leading up to what happened, but stressed that she did not kill her husband.  However, police documents show that Glenna was considered a suspect in the case, and that she had left three suicide notes in the house – one to her ex-husband and one to each of her children.

One of the notes read: ‘i’m sorry but i love you and soo sorry i’ve been a disappointment to you these last 12 yrs or so Please forgive me your one of the best things I ever did — Love mom.’  Glenna also denied to investigators that she had written the suicide notes, but a handwriting analysis showed she did, said police.

The police records further detailed the couple’s financial problems, gambling issues and a potentially troubled marriage.

They said that Martin found out about a month before his death that their home was going into foreclosure due to outstanding debts. He was killed with a gun he kept in the house.

 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3996330/Woman-charged-killing-husband-shooting-head-appears-court-prosecutor-call-filthy-mouthed-parrot-Bud-witnessed-murder-stand.html

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