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Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. Ecclesiastes 10:20
When will criminals ever learn? If you're planning to commit a crime with a parrot in the vicinity, make sure you get rid of the parrot. As reported by Kenza Bryan of the London Independent, July 21, 2017 (links in original):
A woman has been convicted of murdering her husband after his last words were apparently repeated by the pet parrot who witnessed the attack.
Glenna Duram, 49, shot Martin Duram, 46, five times before turning the gun on herself in a failed suicide attempt.
Ms Duram was found guilty of first-degree murder after eight hours of deliberation by Newaygo County jury in Michigan.
Her husband’s African Grey parrot, Bud, may have repeated the pair’s final conversation to Mr Duram’s ex-wife, Christina Keller.
Ms Keller took the parrot in after the attack in May 2015, and has said: “I believe with all my heart that those are the last words of Marty.”
“I recognise two different voices screaming and yelling and it always ends with ‘don’t f*****g shoot’.”
The parrot has not been used in court proceedings, though this possibility was initially considered by the prosecutor.
The victim’s mother, Lillian Duram, reportedly said: "That bird picks up everything and anything, and it's got the filthiest mouth around."
Ms Duram will be sentenced on 28 August on a murder and firearm charge.
African Greys are known for their ability to mimic human speech and can have the cognitive ability of a young child.
Parrots of this species are native to equatorial Africa and weigh 400g on average.
An African Grey was considered for use as evidence by the defence in a 1993 murder trial.
It repeated “Richard, no, no, no,” suggesting defendant Gary Joseph Rasp was not guilty, though Rasp was convicted and it was ruled the evidence could not be used.
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