William Parente

Case record: William Parente

STATUS

Parente killed his family and died by suicide from cutting in the Sheraton hotel bathroom

Other details

William M. Parente (July 20, 1949 – April 20, 2009) was a New York real estate attorney. He came into the spotlight following the murders of his wife and two daughters and his suicide. At the time, he was also under investigation by the FBI for an alleged Ponzi scheme.

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. Parente grew up in Bay Ridge as an only child and summered with his family in Long Beach. He graduated Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School, assisted by Anthony J. Russo, an uncle who paid his tuition to both institutions.

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 his family returned frequently to his old Brooklyn neighborhood for local delicacies, stayed in touch with old friends, visited his mother, and remembered his childhood Halloweens by returning to the same neighborhood with his two daughters each year for trick or treat.

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. 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.

Timeline

• April 15, 2009 — The Parentes left their home in Garden City, Long Island and checked into the Sheraton hotel in Towson.
• April 19, 2009 — Betty was believed to have been killed some time during the day.
• April 20, 2009 — The bodies of four people were found in room 1029 of the Sheraton hotel in Towson, Maryland, and police were called; the bodies were identified as William Parente, 59, of Garden City, Long Island, his wife Betty Mazzarella Parente, and their daughters Stephanie and Catherine.

The offence

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 William Parente, 59, his wife Betty Mazzarella Parente (born February 6, 1951), and their daughters Stephanie, 19, and Catherine, 11.

The cause of death was found to be asphyxiation. It was later found that Parente had purchased a knife after killing his family.

Police believed that each of the murders took place at a different time. 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 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.

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.

Parente was believed to have killed himself some time on Monday morning after the murders. 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.

Baltimore County police officials said the women and the girl died from blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, and Parente killed himself by cutting. The medical examiner listed the manner of death of the wife and daughters as homicide, police said, and the cause for all three as asphyxiation and blunt force trauma. Asphyxiation was described as obstruction of normal breathing, but police did not say whether the three were strangled or smothered.

There were several objects in the room that could have been used to inflict the trauma, said Johnson, the county police chief, but investigators had not concluded what exactly William Parente used.

The mother and youngest daughter were killed "relatively close in time," said police spokesman Bill Toohey, though Johnson said evidence showed the mother died first. It was unclear whether the 11-year-old was in the room at the time. Stephanie Parente was apparently killed later Sunday, police said.

"We might never know the exact sequence of what went on in that room," Toohey said.

William Parente's death was determined by the medical examiner to be a suicide caused by cutting with a knife. Police would not say where on his body he was cut.

Investigation

Investigators found no note. Baltimore County Police Chief James W. Johnson said investigators found no note, and they learned about William Parente's "questionable financial dealings." County police were forwarding information, which Johnson would not describe, to the FBI's New York office.

Police sketched a timeline for the murder-suicide of a Long Island family in a room at the Sheraton hotel in Towson. Officials described methodical killings over a period of hours Sunday, but the crime had no clearly defined motive since the killer left no suicide note. Police were interviewing family, friends and work associates to determine the motive and the circumstances behind these violent acts.

"We continue to interview family, friends and work associates to determine the motive and the circumstances behind these violent acts," Johnson said.

An FBI spokesman in New York said an investigation into William Parente's financial dealings was under way. James Margolin said: "The FBI is looking into his financial dealings to determine if there was any impropriety ... to determine whether he committed any crimes, and if so, how many victims there are,"

Police learned during the financial investigation that Parente was being investigated by the FBI for a scheme in which investors were potentially defrauded out of $20 million. A complaint had been made against Parente for the alleged loss of $450,000. $245,000 in checks Parente had written to investors had bounced, leading to complaints to the New York attorney general's office. Some investors reported following his death that they had "lost millions."

Arrest / Charges / Trial

No arrests, charges, or trial proceedings were stated.

People involved

Victims and family

• William Parente, 59, of Garden City, Long Island
• Betty Mazzarella Parente, 58, his wife (born February 6, 1951)
• Stephanie Parente, 19, daughter; a student at Loyola College and a speech-language pathology major
• Catherine Parente, 11, daughter

Institutions and associates

• Loyola College
• Sheraton hotel in Towson, Maryland
• Baltimore County police
• FBI New York office
• New York attorney general's office

Named individuals

• Willie Parente (father)
• Roccolyn Parente (mother)
• Anthony J. Russo (uncle who paid tuition)
• Bruce Montague (attorney who sought return of investment)
• Steven B. Drelich (law firm partner who said he wrote a letter to the New York state attorney general's office)
• Alex Detrick (spokesman for the New York attorney general's office)
• Joseph D. Levy (lawyer who said the firm received calls from people claiming they had been defrauded)
• James Margolin (FBI spokesman in New York)
• James W. Johnson (Baltimore County Police Chief)
• Bill Toohey (police spokesman)
• Gabrielle Paige, 19 (fellow sophomore; a friend)
• Rev. Brian Linnane (Loyola's president)
• Courtney Jolley (Loyola spokeswoman)
• Stephanie's roommates (four roommates were described as especially close to her)
• Stephen Kiehl (Baltimore Sun reporter)
• Gus G. Sentementes (reported from Baltimore)
• Nick Madigan (reported from New York)
• William Parente's friend (who reported about "bridge loans")

Investigation details and allegations

Attorney Bruce Montague asked for his money back after an investment he made through Parente. At Montague's request, Steven B. Drelich said he wrote a letter to the New York state attorney general's office that spelled out allegations of fraud.

Alex Detrick confirmed officials had received a fax of the letter a day earlier after news of Parente's death had broken. Detrick said: "We get thousands of complaints every day," "We haven't launched anything on this one."

Joseph D. Levy said the firm received several calls from people claiming they had been defrauded by Parente. One person told of a $1.5 million loss, while another spoke of a $500,000 loss.

Levy said: "He's upset, but he has the right perspective on it," "It's nothing compared to what happened to the kids. The law firm does well. We'll move on."

In an interview, Montague said Parente's investments yielded 10 percent to 15 percent returns, and Montague claimed he lost about $450,000.

Drelich described Parente's investment activities, saying Parente: "put together investment vehicles" by: "pulling together money for investments with notes and mortgages" on behalf of various investors.

Drelich said the money Montague lost was Montague's own and not funds from the law firm.

Drelich said he was devastated: "We're at a loss because to kill the family is just unforgivable,"

Levy said the funds could be replaced: "It's money," "It's just money."

The case was described as one of two familicides in Maryland in less than a week. The other was Christopher Wood of Middletown, which had occurred on April 16.

Arrest / Sentencing / Appeals / Outcome

No sentencing, appeals, or court outcomes were stated.

Aftermath

The funeral service for William Parente was separate from that for the remaining members of his family.

On Long Island and on the Loyola campus, those who knew the Parentes were grieving. Courtney Jolley said: "This continues to be a very difficult time for the entire campus community,"

She said there would be a private campus vigil Thursday night and Loyola would continue to provide counseling and support services.

Paige said Stephanie's roommates were especially close to her and said: "You would never see her without one of her roommates," "Their hearts are just broken."

Investigation into financial dealings was ongoing. The FBI investigation was described as separate from that of the murders and suicide, and it was ongoing.