GREENVILLE, S.C. (Court TV) — Zachary Hughes’ shocking testimony from the stand led investigators to charge John Mello in connection with Christina Parcell’s murder.
Parcell was found stabbed more than 30 times in her home in 2021 and was in the middle of a contentious custody battle with Mello at the time over their shared minor daughter. Hughes, a close friend of Mello’s, was charged with her brutal murder.
The judge in Hughes’ murder trial barred the jury from learning that Parcell and her fiancé, Bradley Post, were suspected of making child sexual abuse material and stopped Hughes’ testimony multiple times when he tried to allude to his concerns. Hughes testified that Mello frequently told him about the “grave concerns” he had for his daughter’s safety.
In one conversation Hughes recounted on the stand, Mello allegedly approached him and asked if he would consider accepting $5,000 in exchange for killing Parcell. Hughes said he immediately refused, but Mello approached him again a second time and asked whether he would consider $10,000 to kill Parcell. At that point, Hughes said he told Mello that he would never accept any sum for murder, but that he would only kill Parcell if he believed Mello’s daughter was in “grave danger.”
Less than three hours after Hughes’ testimony, the Greenville Sheriff’s Office announced it had obtained warrants charging Mello with accessory before the fact to a felony and solicitation to commit a felony, based on “open court testimony” during Hughes’ trial. Mello was previously charged along with Hughes for distributing pornographic photos of Parcell.
