Baltimore County Woman Charged With Killing Husband in Front of Girlfriend

Rene Parks, 49, pulled a dark green Nissan into a northwest Baltimore parking lot late on March 31, drew alongside the driver's side of her estranged husband's car, and said "You think this is a game" before firing a single round through the open window, striking him in the neck. His girlfriend, sitting in the passenger seat, was pressing her hands against the wound when Baltimore Police officers arrived at the 3700 block of West Belvedere Avenue at approximately 10:18 p.m.

Garreth Parks Jr., 43, was transported to a hospital, where he later died. It was his birthday.

Homicide detectives arrested Rene Parks the next morning at her Baltimore County home. She was transported to the Central Booking Intake Facility, where she is charged with first- and second-degree murder, assault, and multiple handgun violations. Court records did not list an attorney for her as of Friday.

The circumstances fit a pattern advocates call separation violence: the threat of lethal harm that frequently peaks when a victim begins a new relationship or moves on after estrangement. The confrontation at West Belvedere Avenue followed Garreth Parks Jr. meeting with his girlfriend; Rene Parks, according to charging documents, arrived separately and deliberately positioned her car beside his before she fired.

Escalating jealousy, surveillance of a former partner's movements, and confrontational contact after separation are recognized warning signs. Maryland law allows anyone to petition for a protective order at a District or Circuit Court during business hours; emergency interim orders are available through a court commissioner after hours and on weekends. When a final protective order is issued in Maryland, the subject is required to surrender firearms.

Friends and family who recognize those warning signs can act before a situation reaches a parking lot on West Belvedere Avenue. Baltimore-area resources are available around the clock.

House of Ruth Maryland operates a 24-hour confidential hotline at (410) 889-7884, providing crisis intervention, safety planning, legal referrals, and emergency shelter for Baltimore City survivors.

Turnaround, Inc. runs a 24-hour hotline at (443) 279-0379, with a Baltimore City office at 1800 N. Charles St. and a county office at 401 Washington Ave. in Towson.

Baltimore City's domestic violence unit can be reached at 410-783-0377. Baltimore County's Department of Social Services is available at 410-853-3000. The county's DOVE Program, which provides free crisis response, case management, and court accompaniment, can be reached at 410-496-7555.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day by call or text at 1-800-799-7233.