Man charged in 2021 murder, former partner of victim, face charges for sharing explicit images

A man previously charged with murder and the deceased victim's former partner face new charges for harassment and criminal conspiracy, according to warrants provided by the Greenville County Sheriff's Office. Warrants allege the pair sent nude or pornographic images of the victim to local individuals and businesses.

Zachary David Hughes, 30, was already facing charges for the murder of Christina Larain Parcell and is in custody at the Greenville County Detention Center. Parcell, 41, was found stabbed in her Canebrake subdivision home in Greer on Oct. 13, 2021.

Hughes and John Joey Mello, 63, created a pattern of harassment and inflicted emotional distress upon the victim, Parcell, law enforcement allege in the new warrants. Hughes and Mello each face one count of harassment and one count of criminal conspiracy.

Mello and Parcell were former partners and shared a daughter, according to court records. The two were engaged in a custody battle prior to Parcell's death. Hughes was arrested in Nov. 2021, and was familiar with the custody battle, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins previously said during Hughes' bond hearing last year.

"A substantial amount of evidence was obtained during the murder investigation of Christina Parcell, and upon their investigation, it was revealed that Mello and Hughes conspired to send explicit and pornographic images of the victim to numerous individuals and businesses back in June 2021," Lt. Ryan Flood with the GCSO said in a Thursday morning email.

The warrants, signed Wednesday by a Greenville County magistrate judge, state that between June 30 and July 17, 2021, Hughes and Mello did send and conspired to send the explicit images to several people and businesses.

"(Hughes and Mello's) actions demonstrated a pattern of intentional, substantial, and unreasonable intrusion into the victim's private life that served no legitimate purpose and caused the victim and would cause a reasonable person in her position to suffer mental or emotional distress," the warrants said.

Hughes, a professional trained pianist, was initially charged for Parcell's death in November 2021 and denied bond in April 2022. Parcell died of "multiple sharp force injuries," according to the Greenville County Coroner's Office.

Legal history: Parcell's estate sued, criminal child sex charges filed against fiancé

A separate lawsuit, filed Aug. 23, 2022 against Parcell's estate and her fiancé, Bradley Eugene Post, accused the pair of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and invasion of privacy that harmed a juvenile relative in Parcell's care.

The lawsuit, filed by Allyson Southerland, the guardian of the juvenile, claims Parcell and Post, 66, engaged in illegal and sexually explicit acts for the purpose of exploiting the juvenile. The lawsuit further says the two disseminated sexually explicit videos and photographs of the juvenile for personal gain. Southerland was petitioned to become the guardian ad litem on Aug. 15, 2022.

Post currently faces numerous pending charges for sexual exploitation of a minor, according to arrest warrants and court records, and is currently in custody at the Greenville County Detention Center.

Parcell's estate and Post are also named in another lawsuit filed on March 17, 2022 by a mother who said her child was a victim in the photographs and videos on Post's phone. The lawsuit alleges the mother and juvenile often spent time together under the supervision of Parcell.

Both civil lawsuits are pending as of Thursday afternoon.

Previously: Greer woman and her fiancé accused of sexual exploitation, according to lawsuit

Mello was in custody battle with Parcell, Hughes alleged to have knowledge

Mello was arrested Thursday morning in Greenville and is currently being held at the Greenville County Detention Center. Both men were served with the warrants, Flood said, and appeared in bond court Thursday afternoon. A $15,000 bond was set for Mello, and a $10,000 bond was set for Hughes, though Hughes still has no bond set for his murder charge.

According to court records, Mello has a pending felony charge for custodial interference, filed on Oct. 2021, which he had previously posted bond for. Mello was charged with violating a custody order, transporting a child under age 16 and not returning the child within 72 hours, according to an arrest warrant and court records.

Mello and Parcell were connected through a number of family court cases in Greenville and Pickens County, according to South Carolina Department of Social Services records.

Shortly after Parcell's death on Oct. 13, 2021, Mello turned himself in on custodial charges.

In an interview with Fox Carolina after Hughes' arrest, Mello claimed he was in Italy at the time of Parcell's death.

In that interview, Mello said he "can't help the perception" of his affiliation with Hughes.

Solicitor Wilkins previously said Hughes was very involved with the custody battle between Parcell and Mello, who is the father of Parcell's daughter, according to court records.

Hughes was a concert pianist with many performances of his recorded and posted to YouTube.

Hughes' phone passcode has also been the subject of prior news coverage, including a contempt of court motion for allegedly misleading state prosecutors. According to reporting from Fox Carolina about a Sept. 1, 2022 hearing, a trial judge said unlocking Hughes' phone could reveal important evidence into the investigation into Parcell's death.

Chalmers Rogland covers breaking news and public safety. Reach him via email at crogland@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Man charged in 2021 Greer murder, former partner of victim, face charges