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After nearly a full day of qualifying jurors and conducting voir dire, twelve jurors and four alternates were successfully chosen to hear evidence and testimony linked to the ‘Rose Petal Murder’ – a ritualistic homicide which shocked the South Carolina Upstate three-and-a-half years ago.
At stake? The fate of 32-year-old Zachary David Hughes of Greenville, S.C. Hughes, a concert pianist, is accused of stabbing 41-year-old veterinary tech Christina Parcell to death on the morning of October 13, 2021 at a suburban home in the Canebrake neighborhood of Greer, S.C. Originally scheduled to go to trial last fall, the proceedings were initially delayed due to a lengthy discovery battle. Last month, the trial was delayed again because an insufficient number of jurors showed up at the Greenville County courthouse.
To avoid having the same problem this time around, Jay Gresham – the newly elected Greenville County clerk of court – issued over 300 summons for this week’s term of court. Still, only 30% of individuals summoned bothered to show up.
After the jurors were seated, Hughes smiled at supporters who had gathered behind the defense table. Shortly thereafter, newly appointed circuit court judge Patrick Cleburne Fant III took the bench and indicated he was ready to hear pre-trial motions.
S.C. thirteenth circuit solicitor Walt Wilkins proceeded to argue a critical motion for the state – one seeking to exclude any reference to child pornographic material found at the murder scene belonging to the victim’s fiancée, Bradly Post.
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RELATED | A PROBLEMATIC KEY WITNESS
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It was Post who discovered Parcell’s body shortly after 11:00 a.m. EDT on the morning of her murder. While police were searching her home as part of their inquiries, they discovered evidence of child pornography (or “child sex abuse material”) linked to Post and the victim. As a result of these discoveries, Post 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.
Post’s devices were seized by investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), but his case is being tried by the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson. According to Hughes’ attorneys, police found “more than 15,000 images and videos of child pornography… on nine electronic storage devices” while searching the home where the murder took place.
According to Wilkins, the materials discovered were all found on devices under Post’s control – and therefore have no relevance to Parcell’s murder. According to prosecutors, they are hoping to avoid the “highly prejudicial effect of putting in the fact that child pornography may have been on some of his devices.”
Wilkins further noted Post’s testimony is not expected to link Hughes to the crime as he had never met the defendant prior to discovering Parcell’s body.
“The name of Zack Hughes will not come out of his mouth other than to say ‘I don’t know who he is,'” Wilkins argued.
Because Wilson’s office has yet to prosecute Post on his nine pending charges, Wilkins said he intends to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
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After hearing Wilkins’ arguments, Hughes’ attorney Andrew Moorman countered that while the prosecution argued the evidence was unsubstantiated, they believe “it is highly substantiated we have evidence to show that.”
According to Moorman, “the bases for the relevance in this case are enormous and will become much more clear after the trial starts.” He asked that the court decline to rule on the matter until the trial commenced.
Defense attorney Mark Moyer told the court prohibiting the defense from cross-examining a witness about pending charges would violate Hughes’ Sixth Amendment rights. Moyer noted he was not aware of single case in South Carolina where the defense was prohibited from cross-examining a state’s witness and appellate courts did not ultimately judge it to be erroneous.
Judge Fant noted Post’s Fifth Amendment rights trumped Hughes’ Sixth Amendment right – and clarified Post’s 911 call on the day of the murder would corroborate the fact he discovered the body. But the defense argued the prosecution would introduce evidence related to mailings Hughes allegedly used to harass Parcell prior to her murder — a fact they claim gets into the “implications” of their client.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the judge told the courtroom he would take 15 to 25 minutes to decide, but shortly after court staff told the crowded gallery he had decided to announce his ruling in the morning.
Court is expected to resume at 9:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) as the judge announces his ruling. Jurors will be brought in at 10:00 a.m. EST for opening statements.
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BACKGROUND…
Parcell’s body was discovered by Post shortly after 11:00 a.m. EST on October 13, 2021 in the front living room of a suburban home owned by her sister, Lutina Parcell. According to Post, he placed multiple calls to Parcell on the morning of her murder – calls which went unanswered. When he drove to the home to check on her, he found her savagely slain.
In a statement, Greenville County sheriff Hobart Lewis confirmed Parcell had been “brutally stabbed multiple times” and “murdered in a very violent way.”
Sources close to the investigation told FITSNews the killer allegedly sprinkled rose petals – or deadheaded roses – around Parcell’s body after dragging (and posing) her in the front living room of the 2,100-square foot home.
“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.”
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Officially, Parcell’s cause of death was recorded by the Greenville county coroner as a homicide due to “multiple sharp force injuries.”
During an April 6, 2022 court hearing related to this case, Wilkins indicated Parcell had been “brutally stabbed to death in her neck and head area” – sustaining “approximately 31 different stab wounds by a sharp object.”
Hughes was arrested on November 3, 2021 by GCSO deputies and charged with Parcell’s murder. The arrest shocked the Upstate seeing as he had no known connection to Parcell at the time. Hughes has been held without bond at the Greenville County detention center since his arrest.
At the time of her murder, Parcell was involved in an extremely contentious custody battle with 64-year-old John Mello – her ex-boyfriend and the father of her young daughter. Mello and Hughes were “very close friends,” Wilkins has claimed, 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 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.
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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.
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