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While humans are frequently called upon to testify in courtrooms and congressional hearings, the role of a witness isn't limited to people. Animals, puppets, and even robots have also taken on this responsibility.
In certain criminal cases, animals have been called as witnesses due to their involvement or presence during the crime. While some courts have permitted this practice, others have outright rejected it.
10. Bud The Parrot
In May 2015, Glenna Duram, aged 49, attempted a murder-suicide. She shot her husband, Martin Duram, five times before turning the gun on herself. Martin succumbed to his injuries, but Glenna survived. The only witness to the crime was Bud, an African grey parrot owned by Martin.
Bud implicated Glenna as the shooter when it began mimicking Martin’s voice, repeatedly saying, “Don’t f—g shoot.” The parrot reenacted what is thought to be the couple’s final argument, switching between Glenna’s and Martin’s voices, always concluding with Martin’s desperate plea, “Don’t f—g shoot.”
Lillian, Martin’s mother, noted that Bud was a messy bird with a habit of repeating everything it heard, making its account likely truthful. Although prosecutors tried to bring Bud to court as a witness, their request was denied. Despite this, Glenna was convicted of murder.
9. Elmo
In 2002, Elmo from Sesame Street made history as the first puppet and nonhuman to testify before the US Congress. (To this day, it remains the only puppet to have done so.) Elmo addressed the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, advocating for increased funding to support music education in schools.
The proposed funding aimed to buy music equipment and finance research in the field. For the occasion, Elmo wore a suit and tie, though not everyone appreciated the humor in the situation.
Congress had a packed agenda in 2002, sandwiched between the 2001 World Trade Center attacks and the 2003 Iraq War. The aftermath of September 11, 2001, was still vivid, and Congress was preparing to vote on the Iraq War. Adding to the chaos, Elmo interrupted other witnesses and even attempted to chew on the microphone.
8. Murphy The Dog
In 2005, Albert K. Smith was taken into custody for shooting his ex-wife’s boyfriend. While detained, he penned a letter addressed to someone named Murphy Smith. Intrigued, prosecutors thought they had uncovered a key witness in the murder case. They issued a subpoena and summoned Murphy to testify.
Upon Murphy’s arrival at the courthouse, prosecutors were stunned to learn he wasn’t a person but Albert Smith’s five-year-old Shih Tzu. Murphy had been brought to court by Smith’s unnamed brother. However, they were denied entry as dogs weren’t permitted inside. The prosecutors, red-faced, apologized for the confusion.
7. Scooby The Dog
In 2008, a 59-year-old woman was discovered hanging in her Paris residence. While police ruled it a suicide, her family suspected foul play and demanded an investigation. The sole witness was her unnamed dog, later nicknamed Scooby after the iconic fictional detective dog, Scooby Doo.
Authorities suspect that Scooby was present in the house during the woman’s murder. After identifying a suspect, they summoned Scooby to court as a witness. Prosecutors monitored Scooby’s reactions to the suspect to decide whether to pursue the murder investigation or classify the death as a suicide.
When confronted with the suspect, Scooby barked aggressively. The court did not disclose its final decision, and no follow-up information was available. However, Judge Thomas Cassuto commended Scooby, praising its “exemplary behavior and invaluable assistance” during the proceedings.
6. Tango The Dog
French courts seem to favor using dogs as witnesses. In 2014, another dog, Tango, a nine-year-old Labrador, was called to testify in a murder trial. Tango’s unnamed owner had been killed, and prosecutors believed the dog had witnessed the homicide.
Tango was brought to the witness stand, where the judge instructed the suspect to threaten the dog with a bat. Prosecutors hoped Tango’s reaction to the suspect’s behavior would reveal whether the suspect was the murderer.
To eliminate any potential errors, prosecutors introduced Norman, another nine-year-old Labrador, as a control. The suspect also menaced Norman with a bat, and their reactions were compared to Tango’s. While the exact responses of the dogs remain unknown, the experiment was deemed unsuccessful. The suspect’s attorney dismissed the exercise as “absurd.”
5. Officer Azor K9
In 2012, Rodney McGee appeared in a Florida court regarding a traffic violation. He requested a delay in the proceedings, citing the absence of a crucial witness—Officer Azor K9, a German shepherd police dog.
McGee was adamant about having Officer Azor K9 present, even issuing a subpoena. He was visibly stunned when a police handler escorted Azor into the courtroom. It seemed McGee hadn’t expected the police to actually bring a dog to testify.
McGee had summoned Azor because the dog was present when police suspected McGee’s car contained drugs. McGee intended to conceal marijuana in the courtroom to test whether Azor could detect it.
Judge Peter Bell, unimpressed by the request, denied Azor’s testimony. He also refused to allow McGee to hide marijuana in the courtroom. Instead, Bell fined McGee $300 for failing to use his turn signal.
4. Pepper The Robot
In 2018, Pepper made history as the first robot to testify before the British Parliament. Accompanied by human witnesses, including computer scientists and roboticists, the session aimed to demonstrate the potential benefits of robots and artificial intelligence to society.
Pepper shared insights on artificial intelligence, robotics, and the fourth industrial revolution. The robot also responded to questions from Parliament members, though it was unclear whether the answers were preprogrammed or generated using AI technology.
Pepper belongs to a line of intelligent robots developed by SoftBank Robotics, a Japanese firm. These robots are equipped with microphones, cameras, and touch screens on their chests and have been employed in various roles, such as receptionists. However, their journey hasn’t been entirely smooth—one was even dismissed from a grocery store job.
3. Max The Parrot
In November 1991, 36-year-old Jane Gill was discovered dead in her Northern California home. Gary Joseph Rasp, her business partner, became the prime suspect and was brought to court. The sole witness was Max, Gill’s parrot, who likely witnessed the murder.
Max stayed in its cage for two days after the murder until Gill’s body was found. The parrot was dehydrated and starving when rescued and was taken to a pet shop for recovery. Once healthy, Max began repeatedly shouting, “Richard, no, no, no!”
Charles Ogulnik, Rasp’s lawyer, became intrigued by the bird. If the parrot had indeed cried, “Richard, no, no, no!”, it could exonerate his client. Ogulnik was questioning a private investigator about the parrot’s statements when the district attorney raised an objection.
The judge upheld the objection, effectively ending any chance of the bird testifying. Ogulnik later clarified that he wasn’t attempting to present the bird as a witness but rather to introduce evidence based on its statements.
After the incident, Max’s whereabouts were kept confidential. The private investigator humorously remarked that the bird had entered a witness protection program, with its identity altered from a parrot to a macaw.
2. Buddy The Dog
In the early 1900s, a Washington, D.C., court summoned a dog as a witness in a dispute over its ownership. Both Major General Eli Helmick of the US Armed Forces and Keeley Morse, a hat merchant, claimed ownership of the dog.
Helmick asserted that he had bought the dog in 1920 and named it Buddy. In November 1921, the dog vanished, only to be found months later by his wife, Florence, in Keeley Morse’s hat shop. Florence insisted the dog was Buddy and belonged to her husband, while Morse claimed it was his dog, named Prince.
Major General Helmick intervened and contacted the police, who detained the dog after failing to identify its true owner. Both parties presented their cases in court, with Helmick providing receipts, records, and photos to prove ownership. Morse dismissed the evidence, stating that Prince was a different dog altogether.
Morse argued that he had purchased Prince on October 24, a month before Buddy disappeared, making it impossible for the dog to be Helmick’s. The two men debated the dog’s breed to establish ownership. Judge Edward Kimball ultimately resolved the dispute using a traditional method.
Kimball summoned the dog to the courtroom as a witness. Placed on a chair, the dog immediately leaped off and ran to Mrs. Helmick. This behavior convinced the judge that the dog belonged to the Helmicks, not Morse.
1. Peach The Dog
In 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), responsible for criminal prosecutions in England and Wales, requested a witness statement from Police Constable Peach of the West Midlands Police. The station responded, clarifying that PC Peach was actually PD Peach—a police dog.
Despite the clarification, CPS insisted on a statement from the German shepherd. After several exchanges, Peach’s handler drafted the statement in a playful, wobbly handwriting, mimicking what a dog might write if it could. The statement said, “I chase him. I bite him. Bad man. He tasty. Good boy. Good boy Peach.”
