Murder of Laurie Bursey by Kurt Bird profiled on American Monster

American Monster is investigating the murder of Laurie Bursey by her husband, Kurt Bird, at their apartment in Champlin, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

On the morning of August 2, 2005, the police got a call of a suicide at Bird’s apartment. The cops found Laurie lying facedown on a bed with a gunshot wound in the back of her head. In her hand was a .45-caliber semiautomatic firearm, which appeared to be pointing at her head.

Bird told the officers that he had been arguing with his wife, and they had got into a struggle, and the gun accidentally discharged.

During a subsequent interrogation, Bird alleged that he and Laurie had been fighting the night before the shooting because she allegedly admitted to sexually molesting Bird’s daughters from a previous marriage.

The pair continued arguing into the early morning hours, and at some point, Bird said his wife sat on the end of the bed holding one of his guns, which he believed was not loaded.

Bird claimed that his wife then began speaking about killing herself and said she was “dead already” because she was HIV positive. She also told him she’d had an extramarital affair.

Kurt Bird claimed he was trying to save Laurie Bursey when the gin went off

The killer then told the cops he moved behind Laurie in an attempt to creep up behind her and take the gun. However, they got into a violent struggle, and the gun went off.

The police noted that they saw no signs of a struggle in the apartment.

Bird seemed a little unsure about how the shooting happened; at times, he claimed his wife had pulled the trigger, and on other occasions, he admitted that he was the one holding the gun.

The killer said the gun had fallen into Laurie’s hand, something a forensic expert insisted was “unbelievable.”

Laurie’s sister came forward to tell the cops that the couple did not have a happy marriage and that Laurie was in the process of moving out.

Eventually, Bird was charged with one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of first-degree domestic abuse murder.

Kurt Bird found guilty of killing Laurie Bursey

Bird pleaded not guilty to the charges. He tried to claim that he was “acutely psychotic” at the time of the shooting and even had a psychiatrist testify on his behalf. However, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder.

The killer was sentenced to life and is currently incarcerated at the level five maximum security prison, Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights.

American Monster airs Sundays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.