The After Show: The Rose Petal Murder

Summary

Summary of "The After Show: The Rose Petal Murder" - 20/20 Podcast Episode

Podcast Information:

• Title: 20/20
• Host/Author: ABC News
• Episode: The After Show: The Rose Petal Murder
• Release Date: May 5, 2025

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Introduction

In the May 5, 2025 episode of 20/20 After Show, hosted by Deborah Roberts and featuring ABC News senior national correspondent Eva Pilgrim, listeners are taken deep into the perplexing case known as the Rose Petal Murder. This episode unpacks the mysterious and gruesome killing of Christina Parcell in Greer, South Carolina, exploring the intricate web of relationships, motives, and courtroom drama that have captivated the public's attention.

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The Crime Scene

The story centers around the tragic death of Christina Parcell, a 41-year-old veterinary technician from Greer, South Carolina. Christina was found stabbed to death in her home, a scene marked by scattered rose petals, a chemical odor, and significant blood evidence.

Eva Pilgrim reflects on her initial visit to the crime scene:

"[03:08] Eva Pilgrim: ...the rose petals scattered all around her. While police zero in on a suspect, Juilliard trained pianist Zach Hughes, who's a friend of Christina's ex-boyfriend, John Mello."

The presence of rose petals added an eerie layer to the crime scene, raising questions about their significance in the motive behind the murder.

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Christina Parcell: A Life Before Tragedy

Christina Parcell was not only a dedicated mother to her young daughter but also an academically gifted individual. She attended the prestigious Governor's School for Math and Science. However, despite her bright background, Christina's personal life was fraught with challenges, particularly concerning her relationships.

Deborah Roberts provides insight into Christina's personal struggles:

"[03:42] Deborah Roberts: Eva, this story. What do we know about Christina's life before her death? She was 41."

Eva Pilgrim elaborates on Christina’s contentious relationships:

"[03:47] Eva Pilgrim: She was clearly very bright... she had a really contentious custody battle with her ex-boyfriend, John Mello. At one point, Melo had taken their daughter to Italy, which caused this whole thing for her to try to get her daughter back."

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Key Figures: Zach Hughes and John Mello

The investigation quickly pointed towards Zach Hughes, a Juilliard-trained pianist and friend of Christina's ex-boyfriend John Mello. Zach's unexpected connection to the case added layers of complexity.

Zach Hughes

Zach Hughes was known for his exceptional musical talent and a serene demeanor. His background included:

• Education: Attended Juilliard on a scholarship.
• Career: Played for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra before moving to Greenville, SC.
• Personal Project: Initiated the "Beethoven Odyssey," aiming to play all Beethoven sonatas from memory.

Despite his respectable profile, Zach became the prime suspect in Christina's murder. During the trial, Hughes made a surprising move by confessing to the murder on the stand, providing a detailed account of his actions:

"[11:00] Eva Pilgrim: ... he tells the jury exactly what he did, literally detail by detail, how he rides a bicycle, he shows up with flowers to trick her to open the door and then he stabs her."

John Mello

John Mello, Christina's ex-boyfriend, became entangled in the case when Zach Hughes implicated him in the murder during the trial. Hughes accused Mello of offering him money to kill Christina to protect Christina's daughter.

Deborah Roberts recounts the courtroom drama:

"[14:41] Eva Pilgrim: What was the second offer?"

"[14:45] Deborah Roberts: ... he asked me again, if I became convinced that his daughter was in danger, would I be willing to kill Christina Purcell for $10,000?"

Mello has denied these allegations, maintaining his innocence and denying any involvement in the crime.

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The Investigation and Trial

The investigation into Christina's murder was fraught with twists and unexpected developments. Initially, evidence pointed towards a violent struggle, but the motive remained unclear until Hughes stepped forward.

Hughes' Confession

During the trial, Hughes shocked everyone by taking the stand and confessing to the murder. He claimed his motive was to protect Christina's daughter, suggesting that he believed Mary (Christina's daughter) was in danger.

Eva Pilgrim discusses Hughes' courtroom revelation:

"[11:00] Eva Pilgrim: ... he says the roses were just a ruse. Flowers at the door, when he got there, they meant nothing more than that."

Implications for John Mello

Hughes' testimony implicated John Mello, alleging that Mello had solicited him to commit the murder. This accusation led to Mello's arrest on charges of solicitation to commit a felony and being an accessory before the fact of murder. Mello has yet to enter a plea, and his defense attorney has declined to comment, stating, "He looks forward to his day in court."

Deborah Roberts summarizes the current status:

"[17:33] Deborah Roberts: I've covered stories like that where somebody shows up at the house with flowers, and it's kind of a ruse. Well, we know that Hughes is in prison. What's happening with Mello? Up Update the listeners."

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Community Impact and Reactions

The Rose Petal Murder has left a profound impact on the small-town community of Greer, South Carolina, known for its conservative and religious background, including the presence of Bob Jones University. Residents expressed shock and disbelief, as such a violent crime was unprecedented in their close-knit locale.

Eva Pilgrim reflects on the community's reaction:

"[05:31] Eva Pilgrim: ... it's still the kind of place that, you know, kind of everyone around and it's really. You very quickly have connections."

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Current Developments and Future Outlook

As the case continues to unfold, both Hughes and Mello face significant legal battles. Hughes is serving a life sentence and is appealing his conviction, while Mello awaits his day in court to address the serious allegations brought against him.

Eva Pilgrim shares her anticipation:

"[18:19] Eva Pilgrim: Yeah. I'm very curious to hear what happens in John Mello's trial."

Listeners are advised to stay tuned for ongoing updates as ABC News continues to follow this intricate and unsettling case.

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Conclusion

"The After Show: The Rose Petal Murder" offers a compelling deep dive into a case riddled with unexpected turns, from the unsettling crime scene to the dramatic courtroom confessions. Deborah Roberts and Eva Pilgrim provide insightful analysis and firsthand accounts, shedding light on the complexities of justice and the dark motives that can drive individuals to commit heinous acts. This episode serves as a gripping exploration of true crime, leaving listeners eager for more developments in the Rose Petal Murder saga.

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Notable Quotes:

• Eva Pilgrim [03:08]: "It was pretty gruesome... rose petals everywhere. I thought that was kind of weird."

• Deborah Roberts [11:00]: "Defendants take the stand all the time. But you don't expect a defendant to take the stand who's pleaded not guilty and confess sitting on the stand."

• Eva Pilgrim [16:46]: "He was a stranger... that's the sort of lingering question that exists."

• Deborah Roberts [15:02]: "I told him the only way I would ever consider taking action like this is if I was absolutely convinced that his daughter was not only in danger, but that the only way to rescue her from that danger would be to take Christina Purcell's life."

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This detailed summary encapsulates the essential elements of the "The After Show: The Rose Petal Murder" episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the episode while highlighting the most critical and engaging aspects of the story.

Transcript

[Eva Pilgrim]

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[Deborah Roberts]

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[Deborah Roberts]

Hi there, everybody, and welcome to 20 20, the After Show. I'm Deborah Roberts, and today we're going to take you behind the scenes on a story that is so fascinating. It's a story we're calling the Rose Petal Murder. Christina Parcell was a young woman living in Greer, South Carolina, and then her fiance finds her stabbed to death in her home in what was a gruesome scene.

[Eva Pilgrim]

And.

[Deborah Roberts]

And then there's a bizarre twist. Rose petals scattered all around her. While police zero in on a suspect, Juilliard trained pianist Zach Hughes, who's a friend of Christina's ex boyfriend, John Mello. And when Hughes goes to trial, there is a shocking development. He confesses on the stand to killing Christina and then accuses her ex boyfriend of offering him money to do it, something Melo denies. Well, Hughes says he did it to protect Christina's daughter, whom he alleges was being. This is truly an unbelievable story of twists and turns. And joining me today to share some of the details about this strange case is my friend and colleague and ABC senior national correspondent, Eva Pilgrim. Hey, Eva.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Hey, Deborah.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, this is good. We always run into each other in the hallway and just chit chat about stuff, but rarely do we get a chance to sit down like this and.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Actually chat and actually really chat.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, this story, I mean, what was it that just grabbed you right away about this story? Cause you were involved in the beginning.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah, I mean we one it's my home state, so I feel like I'm very comfortable there. And it took place in Greer, South Carolina, which isn't too far from Greenville, sort of to place it in everyone's mind. Bob Jones University is in that area. Very religious, very conservative area of the state. We found out about it right away. So in a lot of ways it reminds me of Alec Murdoch's case, which.

[Deborah Roberts]

You covered as well, because we didn't.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Know what was gonna happen. Yeah, we were literally along for the ride with investigators as they were trying to figure out what was going on and the twists and the turns. We had interviews that we didn't know when we talked to them what would develop later down the road.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah. You got a tip, though, kind of early on to watch out for this story, right?

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah. I mean, everyone in my home state was paying attention to it. It was a talker locally, and so it was flack to us. Hey, pay attention to this one. It could be really interesting also, because this guy went to Juilliard.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah. He was a trained pianist.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah. So you just thought, how did this happen? He didn't know this girl. Why would they have been involved with each other? It made no sense.

[Deborah Roberts]

And then also, there's an Italy component to it too, and it just was like this really bizarre story. Well, let's play a clip from the episode just to remind listeners of what unfolded.

[Eva Pilgrim]

I've been doing this 15 years, and it was. It was pretty gruesome. And what could you see happened? First thing I noticed was the rose petals everywhere. I thought that was kind of weird. They were just kind of all over the floor. In no particular. Not a pattern. It was just kind of everywhere. This is weird, dude. There was also a chemical odor and just a lot of blood. A lot of blood. Could you tell that it was a stabbing or a shooting or. I couldn't tell at that point. Was there anything else about that room that seemed odd to you? You could tell there was a struggle inside the house at some point.

[Deborah Roberts]

Eva, this story. What do we know about Christina's life before her death? She was 41.

[Eva Pilgrim]

She was the mother to one little girl. She was a vet tech. She was clearly very bright. She'd gone to the governor's school for math and science. Being from South Carolina, I know that's a really big, prestigious thing, right? So. But somehow she didn't graduate from college. She didn't seem to have very good choices of partners, at least according to her sister. And she had this really contentious custody battle with her ex boyfriend, John Mello. At one point, Melo had taken their daughter to Italy, which caused this whole thing for her to try to get her daughter back.

[Deborah Roberts]

But he had dual citizenship, Right.

[Eva Pilgrim]

He was also Italian, so he could be in both places.

[Deborah Roberts]

Uh huh, uh huh. Got it.

[Eva Pilgrim]

He wanted to have the daughter to himself.

[Deborah Roberts]

And so remind viewers a little bit about Christina Parcell. And then, you know, we go to her sister, Tina Parcell.

[Eva Pilgrim]

So when we're trying to figure out what happened here, right, You. You go to everyone who you think knows these people and who would have known Christina Parcell, her sister, who she was living with, and her ex, who she was in this custody battle with. I mean, the custody battle was really bad, Deborah. Like when John Mello took the daughter to Italy. Christina appealed to the HAY because this was an international custody dispute to try to get back her daughter. And they did eventually grant her that. So her daughter was able to come back to America, back to South Carolina with her. But we were just reaching out to everyone that might know her to be able to put some context into why this would have happened.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah, and so many of these stories, Eva, and you've covered so many of them. And I have too. When you go to these places, small towns, people are saying, you know, this is so unusual. This never would have happened here. Talk to me a little bit about the flavor of the community. You talked about the Bob Jones University. This is a religious place. This is kind of small town America, right?

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah. I mean, Greenville, Greer area, I would say in South Carolina feels like a big city.

[Deborah Roberts]

I would have said that too, growing up. I agree. But compared to New York.

[Eva Pilgrim]

But it is still the kind of place that, you know, kind of everyone around and it's really. You very quickly have connections. I mean, even with this story, some of the lawyers from Murdoch I reached out to to get connections with people who are working on this case. So, you know, you're two degrees removed from everybody, if that.

[Deborah Roberts]

So now we talk about in the story and viewers who saw it, of course, were mesmerized by it. Listeners now get a chance to get updated on it. So take me into the interview room with Melo.

[Eva Pilgrim]

We sat down with him in this apartment in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, and we just asked him questions about his relationship with Christina Purcell. How did he know Zach Hughes?

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, you ultimately spoke with John Mello. Here's an extended clip from your interview with him.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Are you worried because, you know, in cases like this, they always look at the fiance or the husband or the father of the child that at some point they're going to come and they're going to arrest you in connection with this murder. Two years I've been here.

[Deborah Roberts]

They arrested me for harassment from a.

[Eva Pilgrim]

The mailings two years ago. Did everything. DNA, fingerprints.

[Deborah Roberts]

They know they're there, you know. Okay, well, he must have sent Zach Hughes a crapload of money.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Well, where's that? Wasn't any of Zach's accounts. They talked about the telephone and the.

[Deborah Roberts]

Messages and what they've got it open.

[Eva Pilgrim]

There's nothing there. But you know, either. Either you did had some part of this or you were caught in the craziest murder case. Yeah. That any of us have ever heard of.

[Deborah Roberts]

Yeah. Yeah, but that's it. I'm caught up in it.

[Eva Pilgrim]

I. All I did was try to do the right thing. Did you have anything at all to do with the murder of Christina Percy?

[Deborah Roberts]

No, absolutely not.

[Eva Pilgrim]

No.

[Deborah Roberts]

No. So his tone is pretty strident there. What'd you make of his tone during the interview, Deborah?

[Eva Pilgrim]

It's so interesting to listen to it. You hear how confident he is. We knew he had a rock solid alibi because he was in Italy, so it couldn't have been him. I should also point out that those harassing mailings that he's talking about, he's denied sending them and he's still facing charges and awaiting trial. As far as all that goes, how.

[Deborah Roberts]

Did he appear to you? I mean, you know, obviously when we saw him and when you hear his voice, he sounds like a very self possessed guy, very sharp. How did he appear when you first met?

[Eva Pilgrim]

He was very confident. He wanted to talk to us. He wanted to tell his story. He was convinced that he was. People were out for him. And so he had a lot he wanted to say. And, you know, with him, it was interesting. There were parts of his story that left us with questions. I think he thought he was smarter than us, to be honest about it. He's one of those people who genuinely, I think, feels like he's the smartest one in the room, if not one of the smartest people in the room. And I think he thought it would help his custody dispute because, you know, he was in the midst of a still custody dispute with now Christina Parcell's sister Tina, and he was trying to, like, help his case a bit in.

[Deborah Roberts]

The court of public opinion.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Right.

[Deborah Roberts]

And we're going to take a quick break, and after that, we're gonna dive into this strange story of the convicted killer Zach Hughes. So stay.

[Eva Pilgrim]

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[Deborah Roberts]

Right, we're back with the 2020 After show and Eva Pilgrim is here with me with this unusual story for 2020, particularly because Zach Hughes, this enigmatic figure in this case, you know, there was a major twist, I mean, in the courtroom with him. Tell us about Zach.

[Eva Pilgrim]

This was crazy. Defendants take the stand all the time. But you don't expect a defendant to take the stand who's pleaded not guilty and confess sitting on the stand. And so he gets up there and he tells the jury exactly what he did, literally detail by detail, how he rides a bicycle, he shows up with flowers to like trick her to open the door and then he stabs her. This brutal scene, if you can just imagine. And the logic behind it in his mind was that he needed to protect her daughter. And that was what he said was the motive behind it all. And his attorneys, that was really their argument was that he was doing this so that he could protect the daughter. And in the state of South Carolina, the way the law is written, in order for it to be considered murder, you have to commit the act, but also you have to have malice in your heart. And they kept saying that he didn't have malice in his heart. But, you know, we've spoken to some members of the jury who had a very different view of that.

[Deborah Roberts]

So Zach was this unusual fellow. I mean, this is a classically trained musician. His dad bought him a piano when he was younger from a yard sale. He had this love of music. Talk about him a little bit and what you learned about him.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah, I mean, he grew up in this very religious family and his parents, you know, adopted some children from overseas to take care of them. Faith was such a huge part of it. And this whole instrument, the $300 piano at a yard sale, was sort of the start of his whole piano career. He went to Juilliard on a scholarship, so just insanely talented. And then he played for a year at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra before coming to Greenville, S.C. and he was on this mission to play all of the Beethoven sonatas from memorization. He was calling it the Beethoven Odyssey. The original plan was for him to play on a stage, but Covid happened, so he started recording them. And John Mello met him as he was playing at a public space on a keyboard. And that's how their friendship started.

[Deborah Roberts]

So they didn't even know each other.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Just a chance meeting, and they connected over music. And so at some point, Zach Hughes goes to Italy to visit John Mello. Although when we talked to John Mello, he sort of blew off all the WhatsApp messages that existed. And we didn't, at that time know the nature of those messages because, you know, Zach Hughes had deleted those messages. So investigators were still trying to get them, and they were encrypted.

[Deborah Roberts]

There were people who. Supporters, right? Who.

[Eva Pilgrim]

So many supporters. I mean, even at his trial, up until the moment that he took the stand and confessed to this murder, people kept telling us there's just no way. I mean, this guy didn't even have, like, a traffic ticket. No prior criminal history, no Even, like, angry outbursts that people could speak of. People who had known him for a really long time from childhood on, had nothing. They couldn't wrap their brains around the idea that he could possibly have been the person who did this. Very violent, brutal. I mean, this was a very, you know, messy scene.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, you talked earlier about the courtroom twist, and we have that twist here where Zack implicates John Mello in his testimony on the stand. We're gonna play a clip from Zack in court. He's just alleged that melo offered him $5,000 to kill Christina. He was becoming increasingly more worried and distressed about the safety of his daughter. I was as well. The more I learned about this situation and everything, and a lot more than what I've told you, I was also sustained.

[Eva Pilgrim]

What was the second offer?

[Deborah Roberts]

The second offer, he asked me again, if I became convinced that his daughter was in danger, would I be willing to kill Christina Purcell for $10,000?

[Eva Pilgrim]

What did you or how did you respond to that offer?

[Deborah Roberts]

I told him, john, there's no amount of money that would ever tempt me to do something like this. And I told him I was insulted that he even thought that would be something I would consider. So I told him I would never do something like this for money. I told him the only way I would ever consider taking action like this is if I was absolutely convinced that his daughter was not only in danger, but that the only way to rescue her from that danger would be to take Christina Purcell's wife. Mouths must have just dropped open in the courtroom.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Here he is, he's confessed to this killing, and now he's implicating someone. And we were like, what? One of our producers was in the courtroom. So she immediately started texting John Mello that this just occurred in court. And he wrote back to her almost right away. It never happened. But then I'm texting with another one of our producers as well. Floored, mind blown that this is going on.

[Deborah Roberts]

Cause nobody saw this part coming.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Nobody saw. I mean, nobody saw any of these parts coming.

[Deborah Roberts]

Well, I'm just struck by Zach Hughes, your story about his backstory. You know, this guy who was just obsessed with music. I mean, how would he even get implicated in something like this? It's one thing when it's a crime of passion, but he didn't even really know Christina. How could he get involved in something like this?

[Eva Pilgrim]

That's the thing that I think we all were really trying to figure out. How. Why. Why would he put himself in the middle of this custody dispute? He didn't know Christina Parcel. He'd never met her before that day. Right. He just walked up to her house, didn't have a conversation with her, and admits to stabbing her.

[Deborah Roberts]

A stranger.

[Eva Pilgrim]

A stranger. And so, I mean, that's the sort of lingering question that exists is. And I think really only Zach Hughes could answer. Why did he. And when you hear him on the stand, you hear how quiet, like, calm and just certain he is of what he's saying. He, from what we could gather on the stand, seems very sure that this child is in a bad situation.

[Deborah Roberts]

And what about the rose petals?

[Eva Pilgrim]

So there was so much made of the rose petals, because, you know, when you hear that, you think, like, almost like, romantic or ritualistic. They were chopped off. Like, not strewn about in a romantic way. Very kind of haphazard, chopped. And he said the roses were just a ruse. Flowers at the door, when he got there, they meant nothing more than that.

[Deborah Roberts]

I've covered stories like that where somebody shows up at the house with flowers, and it's kind of a ruse. Well, we know that Hughes is in prison. What's happening with Mello Up Update the listeners.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yes, Zach Hughes is serving a life sentence. He's appealing his conviction. John Mello was arrested soon after Hughes testified and is charged with solicitation to commit a felony, an accessory before the fact of murder. He has not yet entered a plea. We reached out to John Mellow's attorney, but he declined to answer our questions and says he looks forward to his day in court.

[Deborah Roberts]

Wow. So we are going to have to stay tuned. We will be following. We know you'll be following along. There are probably more surprises to be revealed.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Yeah. I'm very curious to hear what happens in John Mello's trial.

[Deborah Roberts]

It's so fascinating. Eva, thank you so much for coming on and giving us a little bit more of the background.

[Eva Pilgrim]

Thanks for having me.

[Deborah Roberts]

And as always, make sure to tune in on Friday nights for 2020 at 9:00. The 2020 after show is produced by Cameron Shirtavian, Amira Williams and Sasha Aslanian with Nora Hanna and Sean Dooley, Brian Mazerski and Alex Barenfeld of 2020 Theme music by Evan Viola. Janice Johnston is the executive producer of 2020. Josh Cohen is the director of podcasting at ABC Audio. Laura Mayer is the executive producer.

[Eva Pilgrim]

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