‘I didn’t feel anger’: Canebrake murder suspect admits killing woman, explains motive

By Rey Llerena

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    GREENVILLE, S.C. (WYFF) — The defendant in the Canebrake murder trial testified under oath he was the person who killed a woman in her Greer home in 2021 and explained his motive behind the killing.

Zachary Hughes admitted he killed Christina Parcell while testifying in his own defense on Wednesday.

“I didn’t feel anger. I felt pity because I realized that this was just the only way to save a child,” Hughes said.

“Since the end of June, I believed [the child] was in complete and grave danger every moment of her life that she was living with her mother,” Hughes said, “and the other things that I had tried to do to save her from that were not working.”

Hughes said he filed an affidavit and contacted the Department of Social Services prior to Parcell’s death.

He said days before the murder, he was offered a new music job.

“I had gotten this offer to go on this cruise ship, and I would have been leaving the country for a long time. Essentially, it was now or never,” Hughes said.

Hughes said he originally planned to kill Parcell with a gun he had purchased from a local gun show, but because the gun was too loud, he said he used a knife that he also bought from the same show.

He said he wanted to make sure Parcell was alone, adding he did not want Mello’s daughter or anyone else around when it happened.

On Oct. 13, 2021, Hughes said he traveled to Canebrake in his Ford pickup truck and took back roads to avoid traffic cameras until he got near the home.

He said he rode his bicycle to the home and rang the doorbell while holding a gift-wrapped box of roses.

“I told her that, while I was holding the box with the roses, that I had a delivery for Lutina Parcell, her sister,” Hughes said.

He also said he had gloves, a gun, a knife, and paint thinner on him in addition to the roses.

Hughes said once he realized Parcell was alone in the home, he said he pulled out the gun, which he said was unloaded, and ordered Parcell inside. He said she then fought for her life inside.

“I just kept striking her and striking her until finally, we fell on the floor, and at this point, I had just tried to take my mind out of it and just try to get through this and finish it as quickly as possible,” Hughes said.

Court finished Wednesday afternoon without the state’s cross-examination of Hughes. It will resume Thursday morning.

During his testimony, Judge Patrick Fant held Hughes in contempt because he violated his order, excluding references to child pornography or alleged sexual abuse of John Mello’s daughter in the trial.

Hughes violated the order three times and was ordered to six months in jail.

The 32-year-old said he first met Mello and his then-8-year-old daughter while he was playing music on the streets of downtown Greenville in 2020. Mello shared that daughter with Parcell.

Hughes said he became more concerned about the daughter’s safety starting in October 2020. He said the concerns grew after he visited Mello in Italy around May 2021, when Mello continued to worry about his daughters safety.

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