|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A pair of pre-trial motions filed last week in Greenville County, South Carolina could delay the state’s murder case against Zachary David Hughes – the man charged with committing the gruesome and bizarre ‘Rose Petal Murder’ of 41-year-old Christina Parcell.
Attorneys representing Hughes have asked the court to compel prosecutors in the office of S.C. thirteenth circuit solicitor Walt Wilkins to produce “material and exculpatory information.”
Specifically, they want the contents of the eight devices owned by Parcell’s boyfriend – Bradly Post – which were seized by investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) in October 2021. Those devices are tied to criminal charges subsequently filed against Post by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson.
According to the motion (.pdf) – which Hughes’ lawyers filed last Wednesday (September 11, 2024) – they have requested access to Post’s devices five separate times over the past three years. On August 27, 2024, they received notification from the prosecution indicating the content of these devices would not be produced – nor would the defense be provided access to them.
Hence, the court battle…
***
RELATED | ROSE PETAL HARASSMENT
***
Hughes, a California native and graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, is a classically trained concert pianist who studied and performed piano sonatas and concertos written by famed composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
On the morning of October 13, 2021, Hughes is accused of traveling via bicycle to 122 Canebrake Drive in Greer, S.C. and savagely murdering Parcell, who worked as a technician at nearby Foothills Veterinary Hospital in Greenville, S.C.
The details of this crime scene were shocking – “disturbingly ritualistic,” according to our previous reporting. For starters, the killer allegedly sprinkled rose petals around Parcell after dragging (and posing) her body in the front living room of a 2,100-square foot home owned by her sister, Tina Parcell.
“Rose petals were sprinkled around her body,” a source familiar with the killing told this news outlet. “She was dragged – there were drag marks. The scene was staged.”
***
***
Others cited the presence of multiple “deadheaded roses” around Parcell’s body.
Parcell’s cause of death was recorded by the Greenville county coroner’s office as a homicide due to “multiple sharp force injuries.” Specifically, Parcell “was brutally stabbed to death in her neck and head area,” sustaining “approximately 31 different stab wounds by a sharp object.”
Parcell’s body was discovered shortly after 11:00 a.m. EST by her fiancee, Post – who has since been arrested in connection with a child pornography investigation related to evidence obtained at the murder scene. He is currently facing five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the first degree, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, one count of third degree criminal sexual content with a minor, and one count of buggery.
As noted, all of those charges are pending – and all of them are being prosecuted by the attorney general’s office.
***
***
Hughes was arrested on November 3, 2021 by GCSO deputies and charged with murder in Parcell’s death. The arrest shocked the Upstate seeing as he had no known connection to Parcell.
At the time of her murder, Parcell was involved in “an extremely contentious custody battle” with 62-year-old John Mello – her ex-boyfriend and the father of her young daughter. Mello and Hughes “are very close friends,” Wilkins said, and the two reportedly used the encrypted smartphone application WhatsApp to communicate with each other. In fact, Mello and Hughes are said to have exchanged at least 1,769 encrypted WhatsApp messages.
In one conversation via WhatsApp on April 17, 2021, Mello indicated he had obtained Christina’s private number and instructed Hughes to use it to “harass the shit out of her.”
Authorities also uncovered numerous conversations between Mello and Zachary Hughes via WhatsApp between October 8 and October 13, 2021 – the day of Christina Parcell’s murder. On October 13, for example, there is a conversation in which Mello asked Hughes, “How did the music research go?”
“Good,” Hughes responded. “I’ll tell you over the phone.”
In September of 2023, Hughes and Mello were charged with first degree harassment and conspiracy for allegedly disseminating nude photos of Parcell to an undisclosed group of recipients. Those charges are pending. Mello was also facing a custodial interference charge, but he was acquitted on that charge in April of this year.
***
***
The day after Hughes’ attorneys sought to compel the production of Post’s phone, Wilkins’ office countered with a motion in limine (.pdf) asking the court to exclude any reference to – or evidence of – child pornography during the upcoming trial, which is currently scheduled to begin on October 28, 2024.
According to prosecutors, Post’s electronic devices have no relevance to the murder charges against Hughes and would “not assist a jury at arriving at the truth of an issue.”
Prosecutors believe Hughes’ attorneys want to introduce testimony regarding Post’s pending child pornography charges to imply that because he was in possession of – and associated with – the material found, he is more likely to have committed the murder.
That purported connection is “completely untenable” based on the evidence prosecutors plan on presenting, per the motion.
Prosecutors want to limit Post’s testimony to the discovery of Parcell’s body – contending that allowing testimony regarding his pending child pornography charges could cause the jury to question his truthfulness as it relates to Parcell’s murder.
A hearing on the two motions has been scheduled for this Friday (September 20, 2024) in Greenville County before S.C. circuit court judge Patrick Cleburne Fant III. Our media outlet plans on attending the hearing and providing updated coverage.
For more on the Rose Petal Murder, be sure to check out the first six episodes of our crime and corruption podcast FITSFiles (Apple, Spotify, Google) and check out this landing page.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
