Kriti Mehrotra
When 41-year-old Christina Parcell was found brutally murdered with 35 stab wounds on the morning of October 13, 2021, it honestly left her entire community shaken to its core. That’s because, as explored in ABC’s ’20/20: The Rose Petal Murder,’ the scene was strewn with rose petals to possibly indicate it was a crime of passion, only for there to be much more. Three arrests were made within a month in connection with her, yet just one was for murder – Zachary Hughes was charged with murder, whereas her then-fiancé Bradley Post faced counts of child pornography, and her ex-partner John Joey Mello was indicted with custodial indifference.
John Mello Had a Tumultuous Relationship With Christina Parcell
It was around late 2008 when music producer John Mello first came across veterinary technician Christina Parcell by pure chance, just for them to soon begin a romantic involvement. However, what neither could have imagined at this point was that she would eventually cut off contact with her family until 2014, during which she welcomed a baby into the world. According to reports, it was in 2012 when she happily gave birth to her and her partner’s only child together, a daughter, unaware their relationship would really crumble apart not long after.
In fact, by the time October 2015 rolled around, John had filed for sole custody of his girl, which was awarded to him through a family court merely three months later – on January 4, 2016. This was reportedly the same year Christina began dating Bradley Post and decided to go down the legal route to secure more visitation and parental rights, which were granted in August. Yet, everything turned upside down a year later as the former sought to revoke his ex’s access to their daughter, citing alleged sexual abuse of her at the hands of the new couple.
John and Christina reached an agreement in early 2019 following a lot of contentious back and forth, which specified that while he still had sole custody, she was allowed visitation. Nevertheless, he decided to relocate with her to Italy in September 2020. Unbeknownst to them, Christina followed them soon. She actually even managed to take her back to Greer, South Carolina, resulting in a court order citing that the producer can not take their daughter out of the US without permission from all sides.
John Mello Was Arrested for Custodial Indifference Within Days of Christina’s Murder
Since the bitter custody feud between John and Christina was still ongoing, he was one of the first people investigators looked into after she was found dead in her Canebrake Drive home. However, he was more than 4,500 miles away working in Italy on October 13, 2021, only to return to the US upon hearing news of the horrific murder so as to be there for their daughter. He actually then took her away with him without any hesitation, but it resulted in his arrest on October 21, as his decision allegedly violated the court order, even though he had sole custody.
It’s also imperative to note that two days before John was arrested, Bradley was taken into custody based on the contents found on his phone during the investigation into Christina’s killing. He was subsequently charged with sexual exploitation of a minor tied to child pornography, yet it’s unclear whether his then-to-be-stepdaughter was involved in the content in any way, shape, or form. Then, less than a month later, on November 3, Zachary Hughes was arrested for murder after security camera footage and his DNA under Christina’s nails tied him to the crime.
What shocked everyone was that it subsequently came to light that John and Zachary were friends – the music producer had met this pianist in 2020, and had shared his concerns with him. Therefore, even though it did paint a massive target on the former’s back, he maintained he had nothing to do with the murder – he alleged he didn’t instigate or prompt his friend in any manner. As for the custodial charge against him, that was quickly dismissed in the spring of 2024 as he did indeed have custody of his daughter and could make decisions on his own after her mother’s death.
John Mello is Currently in Custody, Awaiting Trial
Even though John escaped legal trouble in 2024, new allegations against him came to light during Zachary’s trial for murder in February 2025 when the latter took the stand in his own defense. As per the former professional pianist’s testimony, he did stab Christina to death on the fateful day after he had become convinced that her daughter was not safe under her care. He actually indicated he was told by John that she was a drug addict, a sex worker, and an immediate danger to their young child, but none of these severe accusations were ever substantiated.
Zachary further testified that from what he had heard, he believed the little girl was being sexually abused by both her mother and her to-be-stepfather, so he decided to take action on his own. These accusations of abuse had already been deemed inadmissible at his trial, resulting in him being held in contempt of court, yet the damage was done as the jury heard the details. As if that’s not enough, the pianist further asserted that he had been offered $5,000, and later $10,000, by John to kill his ex to ensure their daughter’s safety, but he had turned down the money.
Therefore, a day before Zachary was found guilty of murder and subsequently sentenced to life in prison, his testimony enabled the authorities to formally arrest his friend and Christina’s ex. John was charged with accessory before the fact to a murder as well as solicitation to commit a felony on February 19, 2025, especially as his phone records had already indicated that he had previously given Zachary his ex’s private number and asked him to “harass the sh*t out of her.” So, today, at the age of 64, he is in custody at the Greenville County Detention Center, awaiting trial without bond since he has not entered any plea as of writing.
Read More: Lutina Parcell Fights for Justice and Custody of Sister’s Daughter
