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The conviction of Kurt Thomas Bird came a year after his wife, Laurie Bursey, was found shot to death in their apartment in August 2005. Laurie and Kurt had been arguing in the home when he alleged that the gun had misfired during a struggle.
While no signs of struggle were found, the prosecutors believed that he had shot her with intention. Kurt Thomas Bird was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. He is presently serving his time at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, per the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
The American Monster episode The Biker & His Bride chronicles the murder of Laurie Bursey on July 14, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery. The official synopsis reads,
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"Laurie Bursey spent her life searching for happiness; after two marriages and three children, she thinks she finally found it in southern trucker Kurt Bird; but, a violent abuser lurks behind Kurt's bad-boy swagger, and happiness soon becomes fear."
Why was Kurt Thomas Bird arrested?
On August 2, 2005, the local police of Champlin responded to a 911 call at the Birds' residence to find the 49-year-old Laurie Bird shot to death. Laurie was found lying face-down on her bed with a gunshot to the back of the head. She held in her hand a .45-caliber semiautomatic gun.
As the authorities began their investigation, they found inconsistencies in Laurie's husband, Kurt Thomas Bird's statements. The incident had been reported as a suicide but the statements later revealed that Laurie had been shot. Kurt shared that a struggle had broken out between the couple while they had been arguing over relationship problems.
Kurt mentioned that Laurie had pulled out a gun during the argument which led to the misfiring. Kurt Thomas Bird denied killing Laurie but the forensic reports determined that it had been a homicide case owing to the angle of the bullet and the contact gunshot wound, per court documents.
Kurt mentioned that Laurie had revealed that she had found out that she was HIV positive and wished to end her life. However, later she was found to be HIV-negative. Moreover, the police dug up two domestic assault-related convictions of Kurt Bird that helped them build the case against him.
Where is Kurt Thomas Bird now?
Kurt Thomas Bird was arrested and charged with one count each of first-degree domestic abuse murder, second-degree murder, and first-degree premeditated murder. He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and intimated to the court that he would be taking a mental illness defense.
Kurt alleged that he had experienced psychotic symptoms during the period between July 27 through August 3, 2005. His symptoms peaked during the time he shot Laurie Bursey due to acute psychosis. Bird was made to undergo a Rule 20 evaluation which resulted in Dr. Kristine Kienlen disqualifying Kurt for a mental illness defense.
However, he was permitted to bring his mental health expert, Dr. Thomas Gratzer, to the trial but the recommendations would only be based on Kurt's behavior during the early statements and custodial interviews, per court documents. The jury was reportedly instructed,
"You may not use this testimony in deciding [Bird's] state of mind at the time of the alleged offense."
Regardless of the nuances, the jury found Kurt Thomas Bird guilty of all three charges. Kurt was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on February 10, 2006, per the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He had appealed his conviction against the court's alleged disregard towards his expert's psychiatric testimony but the request was turned down.
Kurt Thomas Bird is presently serving his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
Catch all the details of Laurie Bursey's murder as American Monster airs on Investigation Discovery on Sunday.
