Crime & Safety
‘Fowl’-Mouthed Witness May Have Murder Clues: Family
The parents of a man murdered in western Michigan say Bud likely witnessed the murder. Establishing credibility could be a problem, though.

A potential key witness may have information about a western Michigan man’s murder but whether he will sing to police — and, indeed, how authorities would go about establishing the witness as credible — is unclear.
Here’s the potential boondoggle:
Bud is a bird.
Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
He’s an African grey parrot — a freaky smart bird National Geographic described as “uncannily good at mimicking human speech.”
Since May 2015, when Martin Duram, 45, of Sand Lake, was shot in his home, the talking parrot has had quite a bit to say that Duram’s parents think police ought to investigate.
Find out what's happening in Rochester-Rochester Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Bud has been speaking plainly, too. The bird apparently swears like a sailor.
“Don’t f—ing shoot,” Bud said on a video family members told WOOD-TV was recorded several weeks after Duram and his wife, Glenna, were shot.
Glenna Duram, who survived, is a suspect in a murder-suicide investigation, according to Michigan State Police records obtained by the television station under the Freedom of Information Act.
“I personally think he was there and he remembers it and he was saying it,” Duram’s father, Charles Duram, added.
It’s unclear if police have responded to requests that they interview Bud.
Image: Photo by badruddeen licensed under Flickr / Creative Commons
» Read more on WOOD-TV
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.