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A pianist trained in Juilliars was declared guilty of murder A woman after he said she killed her to protect her daughter from abuse.
February 20 to South Carolina The jury found Zachary Hughes, 32, guilty of killing Christina Parcell, 41, in October 2021.
“I have never had a defendant in the position with the type of attitude, ego, severity with a cold face and explain a brutal murder of the way he did. He shook me a little,” said prosecutor Walt Wilkins.
Hughes testified during his trial who killed Parcell, a member of the Pet Hospital staff, to protect his son from abuse. Parcell was locked in a battle of in progress with the child’s father, whom Hughes had become friends. While Hughes was in the position, the authorities also arrested Hughes’s friend, John Mello, 64, for his participation in the death of Parcell.
Zachary Hughes, 33, observes how Judge Patrick Fant III instructs the jury in the trial for murder for the death of Christina Parcell in the Palace of Justice of the Greenville County in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
Parcell’s lifeless body was found inside his house with More than 30 white weapon wounds, Including their jugular and carotid arteries, according to prosecutors.
The authorities said the horrible scene was juxtaposed with pink petals of crimson scattered throughout the crime site.
The prosecutors revealed that before the murder of Parcell, Hughes allegedly harassed her by distributing naked photographs of her to her employer and neighbors.
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Hughes and Mello allegedly worked together in their elaborate revenge scheme by exchanging hundreds of text messages that formulate their plan, according to judicial documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
In the messages, Mello supposedly told Hughes that he obtained the private cell phone number of Parcell and instructed Hughes to “harass her S — of her.”
Zachary Hughes reacts after receiving two perpetual chains for the murder of Christina Parcell at the Greenville County Palace in Greenville in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
The week of the murder of Parcell, Mello took out the daughter of the country’s couple.
The prosecutors claim that Mello sent a text message to Hughes the day Parcell was killed, asking: “How was the music investigation”, with Hughes answering: “Well, I will tell you by phone.”
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During the trial, Hughes described the jury how he set up a bicycle to the house of Parcell, dressing as a delivery florist to attract Parcell to open his main door before killing her. Hughes told the jury that Mello supposedly notified him when Parcell would be at home and offered Hughes $ 5,000 for the murder, before increasing the payment to $ 10,000.
Police used information In the testimony of Hughes to arrest Mello before Hughes even left the pod, accusing Mello as an accessory before the act of murder and for requesting a serious crime. If you are guilty, Mello also faces life behind bars.
John Mello was admitted to the Greenville County prison for accessory charges before the act of murder and for requesting a crime related to the stabbed death of Christina Parcell in 2021. (Greenville County Sheriff’s Office)
Hughes denied having accepted the money, but admitted to having killed Parcell to protect the son of Mello from alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Parcell and his new fiance, Bradley Post. Post is currently waiting for the trial for charges of sexual abuse, but the judge of the Circuit Court Patrick Fant III ruled that the accusations were inadmissible in the case and, therefore, did not appear to the jury.
“He knew that at that time (the child) he would be safe.
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After his statement, Fant arrested the procedures and sentenced Hughes six months in jail for contempt of the court.
“You rarely have a defendant who goes up to the position and detail a crime so atrocious and a justification that makes no sense,” Wilkins said.
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Zachary Hughes listens to Judge Patrick Fant III instructs the jury in the trial for murder for the death of Christina Parcell in the Palace of Justice of Greenville County in Greenville, South Carolina, on February 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
Hughes, who trained as a classic pianist at the Juilliard School in New York City, met with Mello in 2020 after being hired to clean Mello’s house, according to judicial documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Hughes was declared guilty of multiple positions, including murders, robbery and harassment, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
