Steven Parent
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Steven Earl Parent (February 12, 1951 - August 9, 1969) was a victim of the Charles Manson murders. He was born and raised in California. He was murdered at the residence of actress Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, in Beverly Hills, California, along with Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, and Wojciech Frykowski. Polanski was in Europe at the time.
Parent was not acquainted with any of the other victims, nor with any of the killers. He was acquainted with William Garretson who was the caretaker at the Polanski residence, and who lived in a cottage behind the main residence. On the night of his murder, Parent had briefly visited Garretson and was leaving in his car when he was confronted by intruders entering the property. Charles 'Tex' Watson shot Parent several times, and then he entered the house with accomplices Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel. A fourth accomplice, Linda Kasabian, expressed shock at Parent's murder and refused to enter the house. The following morning the bodies of the five victims were discovered. The only survivor was William Garretson, who had escaped detection, and had apparently heard nothing from his cottage.
Parent's father, Wilfred Parent, was highly critical of the way his son's death was treated, and stated that he was told by phone of the murder by a Los Angeles detective. He also criticised the manner in which the media focussed on the more famous victims while showing little interest in his son as a victim. In recent years several members of the Parent family have confronted the murderers at their parole hearings.