Two murders solved by the most unlikely witnesses

Kevin Dowling, after murdering an art gallery owner, attempted to establish an alibi by filming a fishing trip. He claimed the video was shot in the morning, placing him far from the crime scene. However, investigators noticed the sun's position in the video was too high for morning, suggesting it was filmed later in the day. This, combined with expert analysis confirming tampered timestamps, proved his alibi was fabricated, leading to his conviction for first-degree murder.

The position of the sun in Kevin's fishing video was inconsistent with a morning filming, appearing too high in the sky. Additionally, an expert confirmed the video's timestamps had been tampered with.

In the murder of Max Geller, a Harlem bar owner, police faced uncooperative human witnesses. A 'short, loud, angry' regular repeatedly yelled what police interpreted as 'robbery.' Detective Moresy, thinking outside the box, realized this 'witness' was the bar's pet green parrot. The parrot, trained to name regulars, was actually repeating 'Robert,' the name of the killer, Robert Butler. This crucial insight, combined with information from other witnesses, led to Butler's arrest and conviction for manslaughter.

The bar's pet parrot, a regular fixture, was heard repeatedly saying 'Robert,' which was initially misunderstood as 'robbery' by investigators. The parrot was known to recognize and name regulars.

During the investigation into Max Geller's murder, Detective Pyuko overheard two women, who were patrons at the bar during the shooting, speaking in French about withholding information from police. They feared their husbands would discover they were at the bar drinking. Pyuko, who spoke French, confronted them, leading them to reveal they had witnessed the shooting and could describe the suspect as a regular wearing a distinctive black and white checkered suit.

Pyuko overheard two women speaking French in the station hallway, explicitly discussing their plan to tell detectives they knew nothing to prevent their husbands from finding out they were at the bar. When confronted in French, they confessed and provided a description of the shooter.