S13 E19 - The Last Witness Couldn't Testify - The Murder of Martin "Marty" Duram

Martin “Marty” Duram survived a devastating 1995 car crash, a coma and life-changing brain injuries before rebuilding his life in West Michigan. Years later, he reunited with his teenage love, Glenna Duram. But on May 12, 2015, Marty was shot five times inside their Newaygo County home. Glenna was found beside him with gunshot wounds to her head — and survived.

Investigators uncovered foreclosure problems, gambling, goodbye letters, disturbing cellphone searches involving the murder weapon and evidence prosecutors argued pointed toward a failed murder-suicide.

Then Marty's African grey parrot, Bud, began talking.

According to Marty's ex-wife, the bird repeatedly mimicked an argument between two voices that ended with the chilling words: “Don't fucking shoot.”

Did Bud witness a murder?

#MaliceInTheMitten #MartinDuram #GlennaDuram #MichiganTrueCrime#TrueCrimePodcast #BudTheParrot

Hosted, edited and produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan.

Written by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork created by Todd Preston

Sources:

Michigan Court of Appeals. People of the State of Michigan v. Glenna Mary Duram. No. 340486, 30 Apr. 2019.

Michigan Supreme Court. People of the State of Michigan v. Glenna Mary Duram. No. 159805, 23 Dec. 2019.

CBS News / Associated Press. “Wife Convicted of Murder Apparently Witnessed by Pet Parrot.” CBS News, 21 July 2017.

CBS News / Associated Press. “Michigan Woman Gets Life for Murder in Parrot Case.” CBS Detroit, 29 Aug. 2017.

FOX 17 West Michigan. “‘Don't ****** Shoot!’ — Did Pet Parrot Witness Owner's Murder?” FOX 17, 24 June 2016.

FOX 17 West Michigan. “More Details Emerge in Newaygo Co. Murder Case.” FOX 17, 7 July 2016.

FOX 17 West Michigan. “Woman Found Guilty in Murder of Her Husband in Newaygo Co.” FOX 17, 19 July 2017.

ABC News. “Talking Parrot May Be the Sole Witness to a Homicide.” ABC News, 6 June 2016.

Lartey, Jamiles. “‘Don't Shoot’: Pet Parrot's Words May Be Used in Michigan Murder Trial.” The Guardian, 27 June 2016.

'Til Death Do Us Part. “Don't Shoot!” Season 1, episode 1, Investigation Discovery, 9 July 2019.

“Woman Was Alive at Homicide Scene for Hour Before Authorities Realized.” NBC reporting, Jan. 2016.