{{Short description|New York real estate attorney}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox person | birth_date = July 20, 1949 | birth_place = Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = April 20, 2009 (aged 59) | death_place = Towson, Maryland, U.S. }}
'''William M. Parente''' (July 20, 1949 – April 20, 2009) was a New York real estate attorney known for the murders of his wife and two daughters and his suicide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/topic/economy-business-finance/legal-service/william-parente-PEBSL00014875.topic |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090427175625/http://www.newsday.com/topic/economy-business-finance/legal-service/william-parente-PEBSL00014875.topic |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 27, 2009 |title=William Parente : William Parente News and Photos |work=Newsday |location=New York |accessdate=June 20, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Frank Eltman |url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/FBI-Probes-Finances-of-Man-Who-Killed-Family-in-Towson-Hotel.html |title=FBI Probes Finances of Man Who Killed Family in Towson Hotel |publisher=NBC Washington |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref> At the time, he was also under investigation by the FBI for an alleged Ponzi scheme.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_12202866 |title=Man in murder-suicide may have run Ponzi scheme. |work=The Denver Post |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name="mostpopular1">{{cite web |url=http://www.abc2news.com/mostpopular/story/911-Tapes-Released-for-Parente-Murder-Suicide/wbtFY1fbK0Wd8dbA8YoMkg.cspx |title=911 Tapes Released for Parente Murder-Suicide — Baltimore News, Weather, Breaking News | WMAR-TV |publisher=Abc2news.com |date=April 25, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009 |archive-date=April 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426000013/http://www.abc2news.com/mostpopular/story/911-Tapes-Released-for-Parente-Murder-Suicide/wbtFY1fbK0Wd8dbA8YoMkg.cspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Life and career== William Michael Parente was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Willie and Roccolyn Parente; the elder Parente was a New York State Police trooper. The younger William Parente grew up in Bay Ridge as an only child, summering with his family in Long Beach. Parente graduated Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School, assisted by Anthony J. Russo, an uncle who paid his tuition to both institutions.<ref name=American04252009>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Amon |author2=Pervaiz Shallwani |author3=Matthew Chayes |author4=Andrew Strickler |title=An all-American family tragedy |url=http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-lipare2612692898apr25,0,4425517,full.story |work=Newsday |date=April 25, 2009 |accessdate=July 12, 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} </ref> {{Quote box|align=right|width=35% |quote= At his Manhattan office on the Avenue of the Americas, fellow attorneys viewed Parente as a hardworking family man. He was unfailingly polite to his longtime secretary... and worked long though not excessive hours. He didn't even curse, nor join others for drinks after work...|source=''An All-American Family Tragedy'', Newsday, April 25, 2009<ref name=American04252009/>|}} Parente married Betty Mazzarella in 1977. After becoming a member of the New York bar, Parente joined a Wall Street law partnership, moving into a private practice in 1988 after discovering his wife was pregnant with their first child. After moving to Garden City, New York, Parente and family returned frequently to his old Brooklyn neighborhood for local delicacies, staying in touch with old friends, visiting his mother, and remembering his childhood Halloweens by returning to the same neighborhood with his two daughters each year for trick or treat.<ref name=American04252009/>
Late in his legal career, Parente was involved in making what he called "bridge loans."
"He essentially worked as a bank," reported a friend, making comparatively high-risk loans to projects pending permit approval.<ref name=American04252009/>
In order to fund those loans, he allegedly drew on assets from investments for which he had responsibility. When at least one investor called asking for money back, Parente could neither immediately return the funds, nor successfully explain his inability to do so.<ref name=American04252009/>
==Murders== On April 20, 2009, the bodies of four people were found by staff in room 1029 of the Sheraton hotel in Towson, Maryland. Police were called. The bodies were identified as those of Parente, his wife Betty, and their daughters Stephanie and Catherine.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/04/21/2009-04-21_four_killed_in_baltimore_hotel_room_in_apparent_murdersuicide_were_family_from_l.html |title=Four killed in Baltimore hotel room in apparent murder-suicide were family from Long Island |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=April 21, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009 | first1=Andrew | last1=Zaleski | first2=Nicholas | last2=Hirshon | first3=Rich | last3=Schapiro}}</ref> Stephanie was a student at Loyola College. The cause of death was found to be asphyxiation.<ref name="mostpopular1"/> It was later found that Parente had purchased a knife after killing his family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/ny-liknife0425,0,3015465.story?track=rss-topicgallery |title=Prosecution : Prosecution News and Photos |work= Chicago Tribune |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref>
Police believe that each of the murders took place at a different time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bykowicz |first=Julie |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.hotel23apr23,0,1334932.story |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719183011/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.hotel23apr23,0,1334932.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |title=Police describe methodical killings in hotel |publisher=baltimoresun.com |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}} </ref> Betty was believed to be the first victim, having been killed some time during the day on April 19. Catherine was believed to have been killed soon after. Both victims were laid on a bed in the room. Stephanie, a speech-language pathology major,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/22/hotel.murder.suicide/ |title=Attorney's finances blamed in hotel murder-suicide |publisher=CNN |date=April 22, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref> was believed to have been killed later on Sunday after she had left the Loyola campus for a visit from her family that had surprised her. Her roommates were also surprised because she had been studying for a chemistry exam to be taken the following day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-te.md.co.hotel22apr22,0,1104102.story |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719205917/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-te.md.co.hotel22apr22,0,1104102.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |title=N.Y. family died on visit to Loyola student |publisher=baltimoresun.com |date=April 22, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}} </ref>
Around midnight, after the murders of Betty and their daughters, Stephanie's roommate had called the room at the Sheraton to check on her. Parente answered the phone, and replied that Stephanie had been staying there. He was believed at the time by Stephanie's roommate, who was unaware that Stephanie was already dead. That roommate later reported that Parente sounded "odd" over the phone, and did not sound like himself.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-lidead2812702633apr27,0,1171602.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430092344/http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-lidead2812702633apr27,0,1171602.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |title=College roommate: Parente's dad sounded odd on phone |work=Newsday |location=New York |date=April 27, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref> Parente is believed to have killed himself some time on Monday morning. Hotel staff noticed that the Parentes did not check out on Monday, and there was concern from Loyola College about Stephanie not showing up that day.
===Motive=== The motive was believed to be Parente's financial difficulties and a pending investigation against him. It was learned by Baltimore County Police while they were investigating the crime that Parente was also being investigated by the FBI for a scheme in which investors were potentially defrauded out of $20 million. In particular, a complaint had been made against Parente for the alleged loss of $450,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.financials23apr23,0,2249089.story|title=Murder-suicide inquiry turns to father's financial dealings}}{{Dead link|date=November 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Cornell |first=Beth |url=http://www.wowowow.com/money/william-parente-father-financial-mess-spur-family-killing-spree-275381 |title=William Parente's Financial Mess May Have Spurred Family Killing Spree |publisher=wowOwow |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}</ref>
According to the information learned in the financial investigation, $245,000 in checks Parente had written to investors had bounced,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-lidead0423b,3,1672012.story |title=FBI probes William Parente's financial dealings — Los Angeles Times |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 22, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> leading to complaints to the New York attorney general's office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-lipare2412686264apr23,0,7707800.story |title=Cops: Detectives quickly learn of Parente financial woes |work=Newsday |location=New York |date=April 24, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009}}{{dead link|date=May 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Some investors reported following his death that they had "lost millions."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/04232009/news/regionalnews/family_slay_was_ponzi_massacre_165769.htm |title=Investors: We Lost Millions To Li Man Who Killed Family — New York Post |work=New York Post |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714063630/http://www.nypost.com/seven/04232009/news/regionalnews/family_slay_was_ponzi_massacre_165769.htm |archive-date=July 14, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The FBI investigation, which is considered to be separate from that of the murders and suicide, is ongoing.<ref name="nydailynews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/24/2009-04-24_long_island_familys_relatives_grapple_for_answers_following_william_parente_murd.html |title=Long Island family's relatives grapple for answers following William Parente murder-suicide |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=April 24, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009 | first1=Joe | last1=Kemp | first2=Rich | last2=Schapiro}}</ref>
===Response=== The case was one of two familicides in Maryland in less than a week. The other one was that of Christopher Wood of Middletown, which had occurred on April 16.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyarchnew.aspx?action=6090 |title=»The Catholic Review Online | Catholic newspaper, Archdiocese of Baltimore, world and national Archdiocese news, CNS |publisher=Catholicreview.org |accessdate=June 20, 2009 |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725150729/http://www.catholicreview.org/subpages/storyarchnew.aspx?action=6090 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two events, having been in such close chronological and geographic proximity, highlighted in the media the topic of familicide and suicide resulting from economic troubles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.strain23apr23,0,453118.story |title=As economic crisis goes on, financial fears can push some over the edge |publisher=baltimoresun.com |date=April 23, 2009 |accessdate=June 20, 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424132356/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.strain23apr23,0,453118.story |archivedate=April 24, 2009 }}</ref>
The funeral service for Willam Parente was separate from that for the remaining members of his family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/services-for-william-parente-will-be-separate-1.1220277 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007131311/http://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/services-for-william-parente-will-be-separate-1.1220277 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |title=Services for William Parente will be separate |author=Strickler, Andrew |date=April 24, 2009 |work=Newsday |location=New York |accessdate=September 27, 2009 }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
== Further reading == * {{Cite book |last=Papenfuss |first=Mary |title=Killer Dads: The Twisted Drives that Compel Fathers to Murder Their Own Kids |last2=Daly |first2=Michael |date=2013 |publisher=Prometheus |isbn=978-1-61614-743-3 |location=Amherst}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090427195454/http://www.newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-parente-sg,0,4046123.storygallery Collection of articles on the murders] *[http://www.citrusdaily.com/911-call-weve-got-dead-body-hotel-room/2009/04/24/4698.html 911 call reporting dead bodies in room]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parente, William}} Category:1949 births Category:2009 deaths Category:21st-century American murderers Category:Murder–suicides in the United States Category:Murder–suicide perpetrators Category:American murderers of children Category:Familicides in the United States Category:Murder in Maryland Category:People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Category:Incidents of violence against girls in the United States Category:Uxoricides in the United States Category:Violence against women in Maryland Category:Perpetrators of uxoricide