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Bud The Parrot May Hold The Key To A Murder Mystery In Michigan, Keeps Repeating ‘Don’t F*****g Shoot’

By Pam Wright
Published on: 08:50 PST, Jun 5, 2016

Bud the parrot may have witnessed the murder of a Michigan man and could very well hold the key to the identity of the person who pulled the trigger

Bud is an African gray parrot in Ensley Township, Michigan, with a filthy mouth, according to WOOD-TV.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Bud the parrot is apparently very adept at mimicking voices and repeating words that he hears. His latest phrase — the one he keeps hollering at the top of his lungs in the voice of his owner’s voice — is “Don’t f*****g shoot!”

One might think Bud got the phrase from some television show if it were not for the fact that the parrot’s owner, 45-year-old Martin Duram, was fatally shot at his home in May 2015, according to WABC, as reported by The Washington Post. His wife, Glenna, also suffered a gunshot wound to the head and survived.

Police initially believed Glenna Duram was a victim of the shooting like her husband; however, after an investigation, police now say she is a suspect in the slaying of her husband.

Martin’s family told the news station that they believe Bud the parrot’s latest ramblings are actually a replay of the final moments of Martin’s life. According to relatives, Bud mimics the voices of both Duram and his wife in the oft-repeated interchange.

Duram’s father, Charles, told WOOD-TV that he believes Bud the parrot knows exactly what happened that fateful day.

“I personally think he was there, and he remembers it and he was saying it.”

Martin’s ex-wife, Christina Keller, who now owns Bud, said the parrot has a habit of repeating the voices of a man and a woman locked in a heated argument.

“I’m hearing two people in an intense argument. Don’t f*****g shoot! Two people that I know, voices that I recognize. It’s intense. When it happens, my house turns cold.”

The question now remains whether Bud’s testimony could be used as evidence in a criminal case against Glenna Duram.

Newaygo County Prosecutor Robert Springstead told the station that he has heard about Bud the talking parrot but has yet to review any footage of the bird. He said he will decide whether to file charges against Glenna once the Michigan State Police finishes its investigation, adding that there must be sufficient evidence before he will consider filing charges against any suspect.

“Although the law allows charging on probable cause, I don’t like to do that, especially when you have a very serious case. When the investigation is done, I like to be satisfied there’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

As for Glenna, she reportedly left three suicide notes for relatives before the shooting and claims that she doesn’t remember writing them, which could indicate that she was contemplating a murder-suicide. After the shooting, Glenna reportedly told police that she remembered nothing of the shooting.

According to Doreen Plotkowski, owner of Casa La Parrot in Grand Rapids, African gray parrots typically vocalize phrases they’ve heard many times, but the birds also are capable of using words they’ve heard on only a few occasions. After reviewing video of Bud the parrot, Plotkowski told the station that she “definitely” heard the bird mimicking an argument between a man and a woman.

Plotkowski told the station that she also heard the bird say, “Don’t f*****g shoot.”

“In my mind, it’s something that he’s heard, definitely heard before. And if it’s fresh in his mind, he might even say it more now.”

Attorney Michael Walsh told WOOD-TV that the parrot is inadmissible as evidence because there’s no way to determine if the parrot is repeating an actual conversation that happened prior to the shooting.

“How did it get there? If there’s no reliable way of making that determination, you can’t rule out that the bird witnessed a homicide or that the bird witnessed something on TV.”

Listen to Bud the parrot and make your own determination. Do you think Bud knows what happened to Martin?

[Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images]

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