On the evening of December 24, 2001, 48-year-old businessman Kevin Butler was in the kitchen of his Dallas, Texas home, preparing food for a Christmas party he planned to attend the following day. As he focused on the task, he suddenly heard his friend Larry—who spent a lot of time at his house—calling to him from down the hall.
Kevin couldn’t quite make out what Larry was saying, but from the urgency in his tone, he could tell it was important. He called back, “Okay, I’ll be there in a second.” After washing his hands, he began walking down the hallway to see what Larry needed. But before he got far, he heard something that stopped him in his tracks—two male voices, loud and slurred, coming from just outside his house. They sounded drunk and disturbingly close, as if they were in his front yard.
Kevin thought he recognized the voices. Instinctively, he rushed to the front door and flung it open. Standing there were two familiar faces: Johnny Cerna, a former employee of Kevin’s, and Johnny’s half-brother, Daniel Torres. Even though Kevin suspected it might be them, actually seeing them sparked immediate rage. He and Johnny had been involved in a heated public feud for months over money. At one point, Johnny had even attempted to steal from Kevin by forging a check.
Furious, Kevin snapped, “Oh, what are you guys here to steal from me again?”
Johnny didn’t respond. Instead, he lunged forward and punched Kevin square in the face. The blow was so forceful it nearly knocked Kevin over. Before he could react, both men forced their way into the house, knocking him to the ground and beating him. They then dragged Kevin deeper into the home and slammed the front door shut.
Kevin tried to resist, but one of the brothers held him down while the other ran off and returned with an electrical cord. They tied Kevin up, rendering him completely helpless. Then they went into the kitchen, retrieved knives, and began stabbing him repeatedly.
As this brutal attack unfolded, Larry—still down the hall—heard everything. He’d heard the drunken voices, the struggle, and now the horrific sounds of his friend crying out for help. At first, Larry was terrified, unsure of what to do. But as Kevin screamed, Larry sprang into action. He bolted down the hallway and charged into the room.
What the attackers didn’t expect was that Larry wasn’t a person. Larry was a cockatoo—Kevin’s beloved pet of two years, named after basketball legend Larry Bird. Despite his small size, Larry flew straight at Daniel, flapping and screeching, and began clawing and pecking at his head in an effort to save Kevin.
Larry’s courageous attempt wasn’t enough to stop the attackers. After overpowering Kevin, they also turned their knives on the bird, ultimately killing both Kevin and Larry. Johnny and Daniel then fled the scene, believing they had left no witnesses behind.
But they were wrong.
In the struggle, Larry had managed to bite Daniel, drawing blood. When police arrived, they discovered traces of Daniel’s blood on the bird’s beak. That blood was collected and tested, leading authorities straight to the two half-brothers.
Johnny Cerna and Daniel Torres were both arrested, charged, and later convicted of murder. They were each sentenced to life in prison.
Though Larry the cockatoo lost his life in the attack, his brave final act ensured justice for his best friend.