Apr 22, 2009 6:00 am US/Eastern
Garden City Family Found Dead In Baltimore Hotel
Baltimore County Police Investigating Case As Murder-Suicide
TOWSON, Md. (CBS) ―
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Stephanie and Betty Parente, two of the four family members found dead inside a Baltimore hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
CBS
Four people found dead inside a hotel room in a Baltimore suburb have been identified as a family from Garden City, a family who neighbors say were tight-knit and very loving.
The victims, identified as William Parente, 59; Betty Parente, 58; Stephanie Parente, 19; and Catherine Parente, 11, were found inside the Sheraton Hotel in Towson, Md. in what police are calling a murder-suicide.
Workers discovered the bodies on Monday on the 10th floor of the Sheraton.
"They were suppose to be checking out. That's when they found the bodies," Cpl. Mike Hill of the Baltimore County Police said.
Stephanie Parente graduated from Garden City High School in 2007 and was a sophomore at Loyola College in Baltimore, while Catherine was a sixth grade student at Garden City Middle. Their father was a tax and estate planning attorney in Manhattan. Betty was an active churchgoer at St. Joseph's Parish in Garden City and was a volunteer with the United Cerebral Palsey, Girl Scouts, and the American Cancer Society.
"She attended Mass almost daily and said the rosary almost daily and she was a good friend of mine, and I just can't believe she's gone," said Marianne Quinn, a close friend of the family.
Quinn told CBS 2 she believed William was behind the murder-suicide because of a bout with depression.
"I can't believe Bill was so depressed to have done this to his beautiful family, they had everything going for them, everything," she said.
Police believe the family came down to Baltimore visit Stephanie.
"My understanding is that they normally did come down here occasionally to visit with her, and I can only make the assumption at this point that that is what they were doing here over the weekend," Hill said.
Police aren't saying how the four were killed until autopsy reports were complete or if any illegal activity appeared to take place inside the room. They are not searching for any additional suspects at this point.
The bodies were removed from the hotel room late Monday night and taken to the Medical Examiner's Office. Autopsies were performed on Tuesday.
Bob Krener, a Garden City realtor who sold the Parentes their home 11 years ago and wound up moving next to them a few years ago, told CBS 2 that by all accounts the family seemed happy and loving and showed no signs of internal problems. He said the families would exchange Christmas gifts and have dinner together occasionally, and that he often saw the girls playing sports in their yard.
"My wife is a clinical social worker and said you could line up 100 families up and they would be the least likely candidate for anything of this kind," he said.
"They were just the most wonderful family. He was a hard-working man, she was a very spiritual and religious woman and kind and gentle," Krener added. "I'm absolutely stunned beyond any comprehension."
Loyola College President Rev. Brian F. Linnane sent out a letter to students Tuesday and said it would hold a special Mass for Stephanie and her family on Sunday.
"Even for those who did not know Stephanie, this tragedy has the potential to have a tremendous impact. With the semester coming to a close and finals nearly upon us, it is important to recognize signs of stress as they emerge," Linnane wrote, referring to the fact the police were investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide.
In her high school yearbook of her senior year, Stephanie, known her graciousness and passion, wrote to her family: "To my mom, dad, and sister Catherine, thank you for always being there for me, and thank you for your constant support. I love you." She added a quote from Oscar Wilde that read: "Memory is the diary that we all carry around with us."
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for more on this developing story.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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