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Christina Parcell, a 41-year-old mother, was found brutally stabbed to death in her suburban neighborhood outside Greenville, South Carolina, in 2021, kickstarting an investigation that would take many winding roads. The case has remained sensational and perhaps one of the biggest in the recent history of Greenville.
This murder is going to be the subject of the upcoming episode of 20/20 on ABC, titled The Rose Petal Murder. The episode is set to air on May 2 at 9 PM EST on ABC. The synopsis for the episode reads:
"A young mom is found stabbed to death with rose petals scattered around her body, and evidence caught on camera leads police to an unlikely killer."
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This case is filled with uncanny details that would appeal to any fans of the genre. There is also some amount of mystery surrounding the case, which makes it even more exciting.
Five key details about the murder of Christina Parcell
1) Christina Parcell's murder scene was quite perplexing, even to the investigators
On the morning of October 13, 2021. Christina's then-fiance, Bradley Post, came to check on her but found her stabbed to death in a pool of blood. The investigators arrived to find Christina's body on the floor with red rose petals scattered all around her. There was also a pungent chemical odor that was quite inexplicable.
Christina was stabbed to death 35 times. Her sister, Tina Parcell, called it a "slaughter."
2) Christina Parcell's then-fiance was arrested during the investigation, but not due to the murder
Bradley Post was one of the first people to be investigated for the murder, and in the process, the police reportedly took his phone. While he was not linked to the murder in any way, his phone contained a huge volume of child p*rnography. He was soon arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
3) Surveillance camera helped the police narrow down on the suspect, and it turned out to be someone very unusual
A big breakthrough in the case came when the authorities obtained ring camera footage from a neighbor's home across the street, which caught a figure entering and exiting the house when she was killed.
After tracking the black bike that was caught on other security cameras in the area as well, the police could finally link it to Zachary Hughes, a Juilliard-trained pianist who had never met Christina Parcell.
4) Zachary Hughes believed that he was saving a kid by killing Christina Parcell
Zachary Hughes was arrested for the murder after the police had enough evidence. He initially pleaded not guilty, but when he took the stand, he revealed that he had killed Christina because she was an escort, a drug addict, and a danger to her child.
Hughes was a friend of John Mello, who shared a daughter with Christina, and it was ascertained that he acted after Mello had convinced him that his child was in danger.
5) Zachary Hughes is currently serving his sentence, while John Mello has also been arrested
Zachary Hughes' trial ended with a guilty verdict. He was sentenced to life in prison. As for John Mello, he was also charged with accessory before the fact to a felony and solicitation to commit a felony in connection with Parcell's death.
He has been arrested and remains in custody awaiting a trial.
The upcoming episode of 20/20 will cover this case in more detail.
