Pianist trained Juilliard was declared guilty of murder The woman after claiming that he had killed her to protect her daughter from abuse.
20. February, and South Carolina In October 2021, the jury proclaimed Zachary Hughes, 32 years, guilty of the murder of Christine Parcell, 41 ,.
“I have never had a defendant in an attitude with such an attitude, ego, coldness and explained the brutal murder in the way he did. It shakes me up a little,” Prosecutor Walt Wilkins said.
Hughes testified during the trial that he killed Parcell, an employee of a pet hospital to protect his child from abuse. Parcell was closed in the fight against the child’s father, with whom Hughes befriended. While Hughes was on the stand, the authorities also arrested Hughes’ friend, John Mello, 64, for his involvement in Parcell’s death.
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Zachary Hughes, 33, views Patrick Judge Fantastically III, points to the jury at the trial of the killing of Christine Parcell in the Greenville County Court in Greenville, South Carolina, February 20th. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Post)
Parcell’s lifeless body was found in her home with over 30 stab wounds, Including her jugular and carotid artery, according to prosecutors.
The authorities said the awful scene was opposed to the purple petals of the roses, broken down all over the crime site.
Prosecutors found that before Parcell’s murder, Hughes was allegedly harassed by distributing naked photos of his employer and neighbor.
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Hughes and Mello reportedly worked in tandem in their complex revenge scheme by exchange hundreds of text messages by formulating their plan, according to the court documents received by Fox News Digital.
In the messages, Mello allegedly told Hughes that he had received Parcell’s private cell phone number and instructed Hughes to “harass with — from her”.
Zachary Hughes reacts after receiving two life sentences on February 20 to Christine Parcell’s murder in the Greenville District of Greenville in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Post)
The week of Parcell’s killing, Mello took the daughter of a married couple out of the country.
Prosecutors claim that Mello was on the day Parcell killed Hughes, asking, “How did the musical research go,” and Hughes replied, “Okay, I’ll tell you on the phone.”
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During the trial, Hughes described the jury how he rode the bike to Parcell’s house, dressing as a shipping florist to attract Parcella to open his front door before killing her. Hughes told the jurors that Mello allegedly informed him about when Parcell would be home and offered Hughes $ 5,000 for murder before increasing his payment to $ 10,000.
The police used information In Hughes’ testimony that she arrested Mella before Hughes even left his position, accusing Mella as an accessory before the fact of murder and inviting a crime. If convicted, Mello also faces life behind bars.
John Mello is reserved in Greenville County Conservation on charges of accessories before the fact of the murder and for calling the crime related to the Bristine Parcell Basic Death 2021. (Sheriff of the Greenville County Office)
Hughes denied acceptance of money, but admitted that he killed Parcella to protect Mell’s child from alleged sexual abuse in the hands of Parcella and her new fiancé, Bradley Post. The post is currently expecting trial on sexual abuse charges, but District Court Judge Patrick Fanto III ruled that the accusations were unacceptable in that case and therefore were not presented to the jury.
“I knew from that moment on [the child] it would be safe. [The child] It would be safe from the sexual abuse her mother committed, and there is proof that the state is hiding from you, “said Hughes jury.
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After his statement, he stopped the proceedings fantastically and sentenced Hughes to six months in prison for not complying with the court.
“You rarely have the defendant to find himself at the stand and describe such a terrible crime and justification that makes no sense,” Wilkins said.
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Zachary Hughes listens that the Judge Patrick Fantastic III Directions at the Court of Murder in the Death of Christine Parcell in the Greenville District of Greenville in South Carolina, February 20th. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Post)
Hughes, who trained as a classic pianist at Juilliard School in New York, met with Mell in 2020 after being hired to clean Mell’s house, according to the court documents received by Fox News Digital.
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Hughes was found guilty of multiple accusations – including murder, burglary and harassment – and was sentenced to life in prison.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
