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Last month, a South Carolina jury voted unanimously to convict 32-year-old concert pianist Zachary David Hughes of the savage, ritualistic ‘Rose Petal Murder’ of 41-year-old veterinary technician Christina Parcell in Greer, S.C. on October 13, 2021.
Parcell was found brutally slain by her fiancée in the front room of her sister’s suburban home – stabbed nearly three dozen times (including more than twenty times to the head and neck area). After committing the murder, Hughes dragged Parcell across the home and sprinkled rose petals around her body.
After he was convicted, Hughes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by S.C. circuit court judge Patrick C. Fant III. He is now Inmate No. 00396587 of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC), awaiting his permanent placement within the Palmetto State’s prison system.
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As our intrepid research director Jenn Wood exclusively reported last month, Hughes’ conviction was not a sure thing. Jurors grappled with the complexities of this case – to the extent they were made aware of them. Most notably, they were angered to learn after the fact that Parcell, the victim, had been implicated in connection with child porn and child sex abuse allegations – information kept from them by order of judge Fant.
This week, I sat down with Mark Moyer and Andrew Moorman, the two attorneys who represented Hughes during his two-week trial. Moyer and Moorman spoke with me about the challenges associated with defending this case, their personal experiences with Hughes, the courtroom tactics and strategies they employed in his defense, their perspective on the jury’s deliberations and – of course – some of the issues which could be taken up when he files his formal appeal of the conviction.
Here is our full conversation…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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