On May 13, 2015, Connie Ream of Sand Lake, Michigan, heard gunshots and went to check on her neighbors, Martin and Glenna Duram.
She initially thought Martin might’ve been hunting, but upon entering the couple’s home, she found both of their bodies lying on the floor.
However, only Martin was truly deceased, dying after being shot with a .22 caliber handgun five times. His wife, Glenna, had also suffered a gunshot wound to the head, yet as Sergeant Gary Wilson checked her pulse, her eyes opened, and she asked, “What are you doing?”
Glenna was still breathing and proceeded to spend months recovering from her injury in the hospital. And as investigators worked to uncover what happened, there was only one potential witness: the Durams’ grey parrot, named Bud.
Leading up to the tragedy, Connie claimed that she, Martin, and Glenna would talk every single day. So when she didn’t hear from the Durams for two days in mid-May 2015, alarm bells started to go off in her mind.
Then, she heard the blasts of a Ruger Single-Six and visited their home to investigate. That’s when 46-year-old Martin was discovered dead in his underwear, with 49-year-old Glenna lying beside him, clothed and partly covered by a blanket.
Once authorities arrived on the scene, though, they determined that Glenna was actually still alive. And after she was transported to the hospital, there was one living being left behind in the Durams’ home: Bud.
The grey parrot was taken in by Martin’s ex-wife, Christina Keller, and soon, it began repeating a concerning phrase in Martin’s voice: “Don’t [expletive] shoot.”
The constant mimicking of the phrase chilled Christina, who began to think Bud was recalling Martin’s final words.
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“I think it’s a piece of the puzzle. I think it’s possible last words. I truly believe, with all my heart, most of that comes from that night,” she said.
Christina proceeded to record Bud’s mimicking, which “terrified” her. She also reportedly combed through the police report on the Duram case and realized multiple neighbors had told authorities, “You need to talk to that bird.”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but that’s how intelligent Bud is and how much people believed that he witnessed this,” Christina detailed.
Investigators ultimately determined that Martin and Glenna had been struggling financially leading up to May 13, and their money challenges had grown more dire due to Glenna’s habit of gambling.
They were also able to locate the murder weapon under a love seat in the couple’s home, as well as a note written by Glenna to their three kids.
It read, “Please forgive me. [You’re] one of the best things I ever did. Love, mom.”
At first, prosecutors considered using Bud during court proceedings. In response to Christina’s whistleblowing regarding Bud’s repeated phrase, Newago County Prosecutor Robert Springstead even stated “there’s some evidence” to support her suspicions.
But while Bud ultimately wasn’t used by the prosecution, Glenna was still found guilty of first-degree murder and a firearm charge in 2017.
As for her single gunshot wound, it was determined to be the result of a failed suicide attempt after she shot Martin five times.
Glenna tried requesting a new trial, arguing that when prosecutors used cellphone-extracted data as evidence, they violated her rights.
However, her request was denied, and she is currently serving a life sentence behind bars at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan.
As for Bud, a “Justice For Marty” Facebook page shared an update on the parrot this year. According to the post, the bird celebrated his 30th birthday in September.
“And it’s been 10 years since the tragic loss of Marty! He is still doing fantastic, and all of Marty’s kids are doing great… busy with baseball, looking into football, and making their dad proud,” the update reads.
By Katharina Buczek
Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing in... More about Katharina Buczek
