On October 13, 2021, the savage murder of a 41-year old woman shocked the sleepy town of Greer, South Carolina. The body of Christina Parcell was discovered shortly after 11:00 a.m. in the front living room of a suburban home owned by her sister.. She was found, unresponsive, by her fiance, Bradly Post.
According to Post, he had placed multiple calls to Christina on the morning of her murder – calls which went unanswered. Post told authorities he drove to her sister’s home to check on her and when he arrived, he found her savagely slain
Parcell’s cause of death was recorded by the Greenville county coroner as a homicide caused by “multiple sharp force injuries.”
While the details of the homicide were shocking, what truly shocked investigators was the disturbing ritualistic components observed at the crime scene. FITSNews has learned the killer allegedly sprinkled rose petals around Parcell’s body after dragging and posing her in the front living room of the modest 2,100-square foot home.
Six days after Christina’s murder - her fiance, Bradley Post was arrested. But to the shock of the community, the charges weren’t for murder.
About FITSFiles:
FITSFiles is a true crime podcast hosted and produced by fitsnews.com
Are you a mystery novel junkie, do you love non fiction true crime books & murder short stories? Do you want political and corporate corrupution uncovered? Then, this new podcast from FITSNews is for you!
You’ll be captivated by FITSFiles’ intriguing and often chilling narratives. We dive deep into real-life crime, explore all the details, investigations, and sometimes unresolved mysteries surrounding them. We are dedicated to providing the story beyond the headlines by investigating each story, following the leads no matter where they take us, and following it to its conclusion.
About FITSNews:
FITSNews is an independent, unapologetic media outlet covering news and politics in South Carolina. From its humble origins as a state government blog, FITSNews has gained national acclaim after breaking both the Murdaugh Murders crime and corruption saga and the Rockstar Cheer scandal – two major national news stories.
FITSNews is devoted to hosting a conversation of competing ideas. In that role, we welcome all intelligent perspectives as part of a collective, community-based pursuit of truth, justice, fundamental fairness, and individual and institutional accountability as we cover the latest news headlines of the day.
If you believe in the value of independent news organizations, we encourage you to support FITSNews by going to FITSNews.com and subscribing.
The Rose Petal Murder is the first of many true crime & corruption stories we plan to cover and our articles play a vital role in our recorded content. All articles and documents referenced in this podcast are available on FITSNews.com:
On October 13, 2021, the savage murder of a 41-year old woman shocked the sleepy town of Greer, South Carolina. The body of Christina Parcell was discovered shortly after 11:00 a.m. in the front living room of a suburban home owned by her sister.. She was found, unresponsive, by her fiance, Bradly Post.
According to Post, he had placed multiple calls to Christina on the morning of her murder – calls which went unanswered. Post told authorities he drove to her sister’s home to check on her and when he arrived, he found her savagely slain
Parcell’s cause of death was recorded by the Greenville county coroner as a homicide caused by “multiple sharp force injuries.”
While the details of the homicide were shocking, what truly shocked investigators was the disturbing ritualistic components observed at the crime scene. FITSNews has learned the killer allegedly sprinkled rose petals around Parcell’s body after dragging and posing her in the front living room of the modest 2,100-square foot home.
Six days after Christina’s murder - her fiance, Bradley Post was arrested. But to the shock of the community, the charges weren’t for murder.
About FITSFiles:
FITSFiles is a true crime podcast hosted and produced by fitsnews.com
Are you a mystery novel junkie, do you love non fiction true crime books & murder short stories? Do you want political and corporate corrupution uncovered? Then, this new podcast from FITSNews is for you!
You’ll be captivated by FITSFiles’ intriguing and often chilling narratives. We dive deep into real-life crime, explore all the details, investigations, and sometimes unresolved mysteries surrounding them. We are dedicated to providing the story beyond the headlines by investigating each story, following the leads no matter where they take us, and following it to its conclusion.
About FITSNews:
FITSNews is an independent, unapologetic media outlet covering news and politics in South Carolina. From its humble origins as a state government blog, FITSNews has gained national acclaim after breaking both the Murdaugh Murders crime and corruption saga and the Rockstar Cheer scandal – two major national news stories.
FITSNews is devoted to hosting a conversation of competing ideas. In that role, we welcome all intelligent perspectives as part of a collective, community-based pursuit of truth, justice, fundamental fairness, and individual and institutional accountability as we cover the latest news headlines of the day.
If you believe in the value of independent news organizations, we encourage you to support FITSNews by going to FITSNews.com and subscribing.
The Rose Petal Murder is the first of many true crime & corruption stories we plan to cover and our articles play a vital role in our recorded content. All articles and documents referenced in this podcast are available on FITSNews.com:
This episode contains graphic content that may be disturbing or traumatizing to some audiences. Listener discretion is advised. On the morning of October 13, 2021. The savage murder of a 41 year old woman shocked the sleepy town of Greer, South Carolina. The body of Christina Parcell was discovered shortly after 11 a.m. in the front living room of a suburban home owned by her sister, Tina Parcell. Christina was found unresponsive with nearly three dozen stab wounds to the head and neck by her fiance Bradley Post. According to Post he had placed multiple calls to Christina on the morning of her murder - calls which went unanswered. Post told authorities he drove to the home where she was living with her sister to check on her and when he arrived he found her savagely slain. At a bond hearing for the accused killer in this case, the community received some details about this horrific crime from South Carolina 13th Circuit solicitor Walt Wilkins, whose office is in charge of prosecuting this case. She was brutally stabbed to death in her neck and head area. Approximately 31 different stab wounds by a sharp object - most likely a knife - in her home in the Cranebreak subdivision in Greer, and that occurred on October 13 2021. Brutally stabbed is probably an understatement. Though details from the murder scene have yet to be released, Parcell's cause of death was recorded by the Greenville County Coroner as homicide caused by multiple sharp force injuries. While the details of this homicide were shocking. What truly shook investigators was the disturbing ritualistic components they observed at the crime scene. According to our law enforcement sources, the killer allegedly sprinkled rose petals around Parcell's body after dragging and posing her in the front living room of her sister's modest 2100 square foot home. On March 16, 2023, FITSNews published its first treatment of this ritualistic slaughter, along with a headline that gave the story its name, the Rose Petal murder. Welcome to FitsFiles, a true crime podcast hosted and produced by the news team at FITSNews.com. We're the crew that broke the Murdaugh murders crime and corruption saga, and America's cheer incorporated sex abuse scandal wide open. FITSNews is an independent tenacious media outlet covering the intersection of crime, justice, politics and corruption in South Carolina, and beyond. I'm your host FITSNews founding editor and Palmetto State native will folks, I'll be joined on this show by Dylan Nolan, Jenn Wood - who you just heard from - and the rest of our amazing news team. As we dive deeper into the stories we cover on FITSNews.com. We'll be seeking the truth behind the headlines and covering the facts, trying to decipher their meaning and holding everyone involved accountable, including ourselves. We'll follow these stories, no matter where they take us. And no matter who we managed to piss off in the process. On this podcast, it's not about agendas. And it's not about egos. It's about seeking the truth and finding true justice. At FITSFiles. We are fierce advocates for that justice and for justice reform. With a proven track record, calling out dirty cops, crooked judges and the corrupt politicians who support them. The horrific Rose Petal murder is the first of many true crime stories we'll be covering this season. And our articles on FITSNews.com play a vital role in supporting these episodes. So in addition to subscribing and reviewing this podcast, positively, I hope, I'd make one request. If you believe in the value of independent news organizations like this, please support FITSNews by going to FITSNews.com and subscribing today. Which reminds me all the articles, documents and sound clips referenced on this show are available for your review on FITSNews.com. Again, that's F-I-T-S-N-E-W-S dot com. Thanks for tuning in. Thank you for supporting our work. And now back to Jenn Wood and our story. Christina Parcell worked as a technician at foothills Veterinary Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. She was the mother of a young daughter and beloved by her co-workers, who said she was gifted with a personality the size of the high rise. Parcell was described by her veterinary co workers as always trying to make everyone feel better. Christina's boss Dan Randall spoke to WYFF and WSPA shortly after her murder, and said, I quote, She was just fun to be around somebody you'd enjoy talking to. We'll miss her expertise for sure. But I think more than anything over the three years that she worked here, she made a lot of friends. And I think mostly people are going to miss her friendship and just miss her, you know, presence around the office. He continued, Christina brought a unique skill set to the job. She was really smart, very articulate. Not only was Christina a great veterinary technician, she was a mom. She had a fiancee and a sister here in town. She loved her daughter, and she was very close to her sister. She's not just some nameless, faceless victim, end quote. One hospital employee wrote, the dogs loved her and she did such an incredible job with them. Indeed, photos of Christina at work show a petite blonde with an infectious smile who seemingly loved the dogs that she worked with. As for her relationship with humans, Parcell always had an ear and always tried to make you smile. Even in the worst of situations the co-worker added. The violent, seemingly random murder of Parcell prompted a wave of shock and a deluge of grief in and around Greer, a small hamlet outside of Greenville, South Carolina, in the upstate region of the Palmetto State at the feet of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Given the region status as the bastion of social conservatism, thousands of prayers were lifted up on behalf of Parcell's friends and family, particularly her surviving daughter, who was under the age of 10 at the time her mother was murdered. As the story has unfolded, though, a vastly different picture of Parcell has emerged. Meanwhile, the investigation into her death has volleyed back and forth between absolute certainty and unresolved mystery. Was there another side of this cheerful and empathetic vet tech? A side the public didn't see? A side that could have played a role in the ghastly end she met on that fateful fall morning. Also, why do police and prosecutors seem to be frantically searching for additional evidence in a case where they certainly appear to have Parcell's killer, dead to rights? To answer those questions, or at least attempt to answer them? We must start at the very beginning of this investigation. Here's Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis addressing the media for the first time about this case on the afternoon of the murder. Hey, good morning. Thank you all for joining us today. As we prepare to announce an update in the homicide investigation that took place at 122 Canebreak Drive on October 13. I want to first provide you a brief timeline of events to ensure the information that you all receive is accurate and consistent with what we know at this time in this investigation. Please be aware that this is a very much an ongoing investigation. So there are a number of pieces of evidence and information that we won't discuss today. Certainly not in a position to talk about so please in an effort to protect the integrity of the case. Just keep that in mind as you may ask questions later. Deputies were dispatched to 122 Canebreak Drivee just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 13 after a woman who has since been identified as Christina Parcell was found deceased inside the residence by a person familiar with her. Investigators rushed to the scene and discovered the victim had been brutally stabbed multiple times resulting in her death. According to court documents, upon arrival, a deputy saw Post outside the home speaking on a cell phone. An incident report states that a deputy approached Post to try to determine what was happening. When the deputy began to ask Post question, he instructed the deputy to wait as he continued to talk on his cell phone. The deputy noted that while Post was shaking a little, he did not appear to be too upset. When Post finally hung up the phone, he explained to the deputy that he decided to come to the residence after he attempted to call Christina Parcell, and she did not answer her phone. Post reported that he entered the residence through the back door, as they always leave it unlocked, and he found Parcell lifeless on the floor in the front living room. After doing a sweep of the residence to ensure no one else was in the home, officers began processing the bloody scene. According to the incident report, they found memory cards and a laptop in the living room near Parcell's body. They also recovered at clear ziplock bag that had a white powder substance inside on the living room table. This bag also appeared to have dried spots of blood on it. A cell phone located near Christina's body was retrieved and processed for data extraction, while a purse belonging to her containing two envelopes, each with $500 cash inside, was discovered on a table near the hallway of the living room. But that's not all deputies found. The report also noted in the back room of the home, a small single shot firearm was discovered inside a bag that was inside a suitcase. Meanwhile, multiple documents regarding an ongoing custody battle were retrieved from Parcell's bedroom, along with numerous USB drives. Parcels bedsheets were also collected as they appear to have blood on them. In fact, a Blue Star spray test was conducted in several areas including the bathroom and resulted in a positive response for the possible presence of blood. The deputy who initially responded walked outside the home in reestablish contact with Bradley Post. The deputy stated that Post became nervous and asked if he needed to speak with his lawyer. The deputy found this odd as he was just asking basic questions about the incident at the time Post asked for a lawyer. Post then provided the deputy with the name of the person whom he believed killed his fiancee. Police asked Post to accompany them while they search the residence. They noticed that Post wore gloves during this process, which they found. Neighbors in the Canebreak subdivision quickly found footage on their Ring cameras showing a male in a black hoodie and a backpack entering the front door of 122 Canebreak at approximately 10am. The suspect was then seen on another Ring camera, leaving the subdivision on a bicycle. At about 10 o'clock that morning a Ring camera from across the street showed us the defendant dressed in a black hoodie and a backpack entering the front door. The defendant is seen on camera from another Ring camera leaving the subdivision on a bicycle. Investigators found an abundance of physical evidence of this crime scene including DNA under Christina's fingernails. Combined with the video footage they collected it seemed an arrest was imminent. On October 19, 2021, just six days after Christina has graphic murder. Her fiancee Bradley Post was arrested. But to the shock of the community the charges weren't for murder. Instead, Post was apprehended in connection with a child pornography investigation tied to evidence obtained at the murder scene. And as we are this episode on July 19, 2023, Post is currently facing six counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Five of them in the first degree. He's also facing one count of criminal sexual contact with a minor and one count of buggery. And just trust me, we'll have a lot more to say on that last charge in future episodes. All of these charges against post incidentally are being handled by the Office of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Now additionally, Post and the estate of Christina Parcell, the Rose Petal victim, have been named as defendants in two civil lawsuits. One brought on behalf of Parcell's own daughter and the other on behalf of another minor female allegedly victimized by the couple. That's right, the couple. Including, allegedly, the murder victim herself. According to the first lawsuit filed in February of 2022, Parcell and Post took pictures and videos of and with the minor female in states of undress and his sexually provocative positions. These images and videos were uncovered during the investigation of the murder of Parcell. The second lawsuit was filed in August of 2022. On behalf of Parcell's own daughter. It claims the child was allegedly photographed and videoed in sexually explicit and nude positions. And this is graphic but some of these files quote depicted her genitals and breasts. As with the first complaint, the second pleading alleged that both Post and Parcell were involved in the abuse and that the evidence referenced in the complaint had been uncovered during the investigation of Christina Parcell's murder. As you are no doubt starting to see this was an is no ordinary case. Who killed Parcell though? While this may be the most bizarre element of our story, the most out of nowhere component of this true crime saga on November 4th, 2021 three weeks after the murder, Sheriff Lewis made the following announcement. During the course of the investigation, investigators obtained the lead. This was not from a tip this was one that they they worked on and developed that led them to a person of interest identified as 29 year old Zachary David Hughes. Investigators discovered physical evidence that link Hughes to the crime and ultimately led to investigators to believe him to be the person responsible for killing Christina Parcell. Hughes turned himself in at the law enforcement center yesterday afternoon, and it's currently in the Greenville County Detention Center, where he's facing charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. According to police and prosecutors, Parcell's murderer is 31 year old Zachary David Hughes, a California native and graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. A classically trained concert pianist, Hughes studied and performed concertos, written by famed composer Ludwig von Beethoven. You're listening to him play right now. Hughes is obsessed with Beethoven. In 2020, he undertook to play all 32 of these concertos from memory, a project Hughes called the most ambitious thing I've done in my life. It's a little terrifying Hughes told the Greenville Journal in January of that year, but it wouldn't be worth doing if it wasn't. Hughes was also obsessed with the Lord of the Rings, writing on his website that when he was growing up, any free time not spent practicing piano was employed crafting wooden replica swords from the Lord of the Rings, books and movies, and then taking them into the Appalachian woods to do battle with the forces of darkness. Hughes also had military training to employ in waging his battles. According to his website in 2019, Hughes felt the itch to see a different side of life. And after six months of rigorous physical training, he was selected from a competitive pool of candidates to attend Marine Corps officer candidate school, or OCS in Quantico, Virginia. He was unable to finish the training, however. Despite earning top marks at OCS, he was dropped from training due to severe stress fractures sustained in both legs. On November 3, 2021, Greenville County Sheriff's deputies arrested Hughes and charged him with murder and use of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in connection with Christina Parcell's death. He has been held at the Greenville County Detention Center since his arrest. The case against Hughes is compelling. During an April 2022 bond hearing before Circuit Court Judge Edward W. Miller, Solicitor Wilkins detailed some of this evidence. The facts that that show the Zach Hughes tied to this case and the basis of the arrest warrant show that about 10 o'clock that morning, a Ring camera from across the street shows the defendant dressed in a black hoodie and a backpack entering the front door. The defendant is seen on camera from another Ring camera leaving the subdivision on a bicycle. The investigation moved to Flock cameras, which are cameras that are located around Greenville County, and these cameras located Zach Hughes' truck with a bicycle in the back of the truck matching the exact bicycle leaving the neighborhood at the time of the murder. The bicycle was located at a residence where the defendant was living with another family here briefly in the City of Greenville. A resident of that house stated that it was his bicycle and it had recently been moved while it has not been used for a long time. And then finally, Your Honor, the victims fingernails were processed for DNA. And the DNA conclusively shows that Zack Hughes' DNA was under the fingernails of the victim. In addition, Bradley Post, which is the victim's fiance, who has been charged with CSC and exploitation of a minor, separate from this case, is being prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office has an alibi where he is on camera at another location during this murder. Your Honor, we take the position that the evidence against evidence against Zach Hughes is substantial. And we're preparing for trial. But due to the nature, violent nature of this crime, the premeditation and calculation and planning that had to go into this crime was was was pretty impeccable. Planning to drive with a bike in the back of your car, taking a bike to the crime scene, a vicious brutal stabbing um occurring for the murder and a staging of the crime scene in a certain way that is that is that is relevant as well. Is... shows that this this individual cannot be out on bond during the pendency of this trial, A staging of the crime scene, the rose petals. But why? What could have possibly motivated this talented young man who had no apparent ties to Christina Parcell to murder her in such a brutal manner? Was there a connection point, someone whose life touch the lives of both the victim and the accused killer. During the bond hearing, Wilkins told the court, Parcell was involved in an extremely contentious custody battle with 62 year old John Mello, the father of her young daughter, By way of background. Christina Parcell has a daughter who was around the age of nine, and she was engaged in a extremely contentious custody battle with the father of the child. The father of the child and Zach Hughes are very close friends. And your honor, we have and I'll go into a little bit, we have emails and texts showing their close relationship as well as when the father of the child was arrested for custodial interference for leaving with the child to Italy. When he was arrested on his jail screen, he put the only familymember that he put on the jail screen was Zach Hughes. So the relationship is very, very close. The investigation shows Zach Hughes is a close and personal friend of the victim's, father of the victim's daughter. When he was arrested, he put it on the jail screen. In addition, the search warrants of the defendant was obtained and law enforcement could extract only a small amount of information from the defendant's phone. It's hooked up to what's called a gray key and it's still searching for the passcode. But it was able to extract a small amount of information and that becomes relevant later, Your Honor, but in that information, there's text information between them. Mello and Hughes are very close friends, Wilkins said. And the two routinely use the encrypted smartphone application WhatsApp to communicate with each other. Hughes also worked for Mello, according to prosecutors, cleaning his home and performing other random jobs. Mello also gave Hughes exclusive rights to retrieve his belongings from the airport after he was arrested returning from Italy on October 21 2021, just eight days after the murder. That's right. Mello is facing a criminal charge for leaving the country with his and Parcell's daughter. Hughes was recently ordered to provide his iPhone passcode to investigators so they can attempt a forensic extraction of all 1769 encrypted WhatsApp messages allegedly exchanged between him and Mello. Last September, South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Leticia Verdin, who was recently elected to the South Carolina Court of Appeals, ordered Hughes to turn over his password. Though he refused to comply with the order, and even allegedly provided prosecutors with a potential password that was misleading, detectives were recently able to unlock the phone. Limited information from Hughes' phone had already been obtained prior to them obtaining access to the phone and showed Mello and Hughes apparently speaking in code. How did the music research go? Mello asked Hughes in a message dated the day of the murders. Music Research are Mello and Hughes corresponding in code. Good, Hughes responded, I'll tell you over the phone. FITSNews has been working tirelessly to try and unravel this incredibly complex story ahead of Zack Hughes upcoming murder trial, tentatively scheduled for early 2024 in Greenville, South Carolina. Count on our news team to keep digging into all aspects of this story, weaving in everything we know about his key players, their actions, lawsuits, investigations, and the consequences. Our goal is to tell this story both as it has happened already and as it continues to unfold ahead of us. We're glad you joined us on this journey. Stay tuned next week for chapter two of the rose petal murder. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review for FITSFiles, your new home for true crime.
