Naman Shrestha
When Laurie Bird was found dead on the bed of her apartment in 2005, the entire community was left shell-shocked as a wave of fear and concern took over the area. However, the following investigation led the police to the perpetrator responsible for the murder. In the episode titled ‘The Biker & His Bride’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘American Monster,’ besides her tragic death, Laurie’s life, as well as the investigation that followed, are covered in detail, supported by the exclusive interviews with her family and friends, and the officials linked to the case.
Laurie Bird’s Death Was Initially Labelled as Suicide
Laurie Kay Bird (née Bursey) was born on April 20, 1956, to Carol and Phillip Forde. Growing up in a close-knit household in the company of four brothers, Glenn Anderson, Gary Forde, Randy Forde, and Tommy Anderson, and two sisters, Mona Jungwirth and Lynell Tanner, she turned out to be a friendly and caring individual. After completing her education, she got the opportunity to work at several firms, including Damark and Onvoy, where she gained lots of friends. On the personal front, Laurie had married twice, which ended up in her giving birth to three daughters, Kristin, Kelly, and Kari Bursey.
Unfortunately, neither of the marriages worked out. Having lost all hope, she met a Southern trucker named Kurt Thomas Bird, and sparks flew. Hoping to make it work, the two soon tied the knot and made their relationship official. However, around noon on August 2, 2005, the police received a 911 call about the apparent suicide of 49-year-old Laurie Bird at her apartment in Champlin, Minnesota. As the authorities rushed to the scene, they set up a perimeter and launched an investigation. They discovered Laurie’s body on her bed with a fatal gunshot wound to the back of her head and a .45-caliber semiautomatic gun in her hand, hinting at suicide.
The Killer Was Someone Laurie Bird Knew Closely
When the first responders and officers began the interrogation process with potential witnesses and acquaintances of Laurie Bird, they found her husband, Kurt Thomas Bird, right outside the building. Upon questioning him about what had transpired, he claimed that around 7 am that morning, he and his wife got into a heated argument, and in the middle of it, the latter pulled out a gun. According to Kurt, a physical struggle ensued between the two, leading to the gun getting discharged and shooting her. However, the investigators did not find any sign of a struggle in any of the rooms of the apartment. As the investigators dug deeper into the background of Kurt Thomas Bird, they found some dark secrets about him.
For instance, there were signs of him being a violent abuser in Laurie’s life. Thus, the authorities brought the suspect in for questioning. As per his claims, he and Laurie had been arguing since the evening of August 1, 2005. She had allegedly molested and had sexual relations with one of Kurt’s daughters from his previous relationship, which was the main reason behind their argument. In one version of his story, Laurie held one of his guns after another argument in the early morning hours of August 2 and had been fooling with it without realizing that it was loaded. Kurt also claimed that Laurie kept wishing that she was dead as she was HIV-positive. He also told the investigators that his wife had been involved in allegedly more than one extramarital affair and was going to leave him.
Considering the gun in her hand dangerous, he tried to take it from her hands, but in doing so, he claimed that he ended up pushing her down, resulting in the firearm going off. Changing the events of his story many times, he claimed that the gun was in her hands when it was fired but later admitted that he was holding it at the time it got discharged. However, he straight out denied shooting her on purpose. Although he claimed that he did not shoot her out of anger, he was quick to admit that he had been angry at her. In light of his statements during the interrogation, Kurt Thomas Bird was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Laurie Bird. He was officially indicted on one count of first-degree domestic abuse murder, one count of second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree premeditated murder.
Kurt Thomas Bird is Incarcerated at a Minnesota Prison
After the charges against him, Kurt Thomas Bird pleaded not guilty to all three counts of crimes against him and used his mental illness as his defense. During his trial, he claimed that he had been experiencing psychotic symptoms around the time of his wife’s death and when he fired the fatal shot. To support his claims, he was also allowed an expert psychiatric testimony by the court. Despite the defense’s best efforts, the jury found more weight in the prosecution’s arguments. Thus, Kurt was convicted of one count of first-degree domestic abuse murder and one count of first-degree premeditated murder for shooting Laurie Bird to death.
In February 2006, Kurt Thomas Bird received a life imprisonment sentence. Sooner rather than later, the convict appealed his conviction, putting forward the argument that the court ignored expert psychiatric testimony in relation to the nature of psychosis in general. However, his appeal was denied, and the conviction was upheld. As of now, Kurt is being held at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights at 5329 North Osgood Avenue, Oak Park Heights, Minnesota, where he is serving his life sentence.
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