First Day Of Testimony In Duram Murder Trial

Connie Ream leaving the courtroom after her testimony. Ms. Ream stated she was 'horrified' at the scene in the Duram bedroom

By Ken DeLaat

Jurors in the trial of Glenna Duram who is accused of first degree murder in the death of her husband Marty Duram began to hear testimony as Prosecutor Ellsworth Stay brought forth witnesses who came onto the scene at the Duram home.

The first was Connie Ream who described herself as a friend and neighbor to the Durams. Ms. Ream was asked about the days leading up to the incident and explained how after  a couple of days of not being able to connect with the Durams as they usually did, she and her husband Wayne became fearful that something as amiss. She also recalled hearing gunshots previously but assumed they were from hunters. Mr. Ream was out of town on his job as a truck driver and encouraged his wife to check out the house. 

After knocking on doors and windows and attempting to contact the Durams via text messages and phone calls Ms Ream, who heard the dog belonging to the couple  barking from inside the house, entered the house and when she went to the bedroom she found Marty Duram curled up  on the floor of the bedroom with apparent blood stains and Glenna Durham lying nearby.

“Can you describe your emotional state at that point?” asked Mr. Stay.

“Horrified,” she replied.

Ms. Ream told how she ran to a nearby house where firemen had been extinguishing a garage fire and brought them back to the house. Upon entering the room the firemen recognized it to be a crime scene and retreated, calling for the police.

Sergeant Gary Wilson of the Michigan State Police was the next to take the stand. He described arriving on the scene seeing casings on the bed and the Durams on the floor.

Mr Stay asked  the Sergeant if he or anyone else stopped to check on Ms. Durham and the reply was no each time explaining that they were operating under the assumption that there were two deceased bodies in the room.

After they received assistance from Ms. Ream to get the dog out of the bedroom where it maintained a position over the body of Mr Duram Sergeant Wilson said he looked at Glenna Duram and felt she did not look deceased. When he went to take her pulse she lurched forward struggling with the officer yelling “Leave me alone” and “I don’t feel good”.

Wilson said he tried to reassure her saying ‘we’re here to help you’ but she continued to struggle. When strapped into a stretcher for transport to the hospital Wilson said Ms. Duram kept fighting to try to undo the straps.

During cross examination Defense Attorney Mark Miller asked Sergeant Wilson if he knew who had been in the room prior to himself to which Wilson replied that only Ms. Ream and a couple of First Responders. Miller also inquired about Wilson’s testimony  that Ms. Durham did not look deceased.

“What does it look like?”
​
“It’s a different look. I’ve been doing this 23 years and I’ve seen it a lot There’s just something different about the way they look."

Wayne Ream was also called and was asked questions about the friendship he and his wife had with the Durams

Mr Stay called several of the First Responders and other state police personnel  who each delivered similar accounts to those given by the previous witnesses. He also called Joseph Bozek of the MSP Canine Unit who told of searching the area around the house with his dog Garo, a search that turned up nothing.

Mr. Miller and M. Prysock questioned each witness briefly and the day's hearing came to an end.

The trial resumes Tuesday morning.

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The accused: Glenna Duram