Dead men don’t talk, but one family believes an animal left behind does. Bud, an African Grey parrot belonged to Martin Duram of Township, Michigan. Duram was murdered in his home in May, 2015.
Since that time, Bud, already known for spewing profanties among Duram’s friends and family, has been saying for all to hear “Don’t f—ing shoot!”
Relatives, including Christina Keller, Martin Duram’s ex-wife, believe those are the last words of Duram.
“I’m hearing two people in an intense argument,” says Keller, who believes “Don’t f—ing shoot!” were Duram’s final words. “Two people that I know, voices that I recognize.”
“It’s intense,” she added. “When it happens, my house turns cold.”
A parrot expert from Grand Rapids said it is not uncommon for parrots to repeat phrases they hear repeatedly.
“In my mind, it’s something that he’s heard, definitely heard before,” Doreen Plotkowski said. “And if it’s fresh in his mind, he might even say it more now.”
What is in dispute is whether or not the recitations of an animal are admissable in court. The general consensus is probably not. Because there is no way to prove when and how the bird learned the phrases he repeats, he is not a reliable “witness.”
For now, police aren’t saying how seriously they are taking Bud. Martin’s wife, Glenna Duram, was also shot at the same time her husband was killed, but she survived. Police consider her a suspect, something Martin’s family hopes is not true.
“I got hope that maybe there’s something out there that we don’t know about that can change this whole situation,” he said.
Featured image by L.Miguel Bugallo Sánchezn via Wikimedia Commons.
