Southeast
Juilliard-trained pianist convicted of murder after mid-trial confession leads to additional arrest
A Juilliard-trained pianist was found guilty of murdering a woman after he claimed he killed her in order to protect her daughter from abuse.
On Feb. 20, a South Carolina jury found Zachary Hughes, 32, guilty of murdering Christina Parcell, 41, in October 2021.
“I’ve never had a defendant get on the stand with the kind of attitude, ego, cold-faced sternness and explain a brutal murder in the way he did. It shook me a little bit,” prosecutor Walt Wilkins said.
Hughes testified during his trial that he killed Parcell, a pet hospital staffer, to protect her child from abuse. Parcell was locked in an ongoing custody battle with the child’s father, whom Hughes had befriended. While Hughes was on the stand, authorities also arrested Hughes’ friend, John Mello, 64, for his involvement in Parcell’s death.
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Zachary Hughes, 33, looks on as Judge Patrick Fant III instructs the jury at the trial for murder in the death of Christina Parcell at the Greenville County Courthouse in Greenville, South Carolina, on Feb. 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
Parcell’s lifeless body was found inside her home with over 30 stab wounds, including to her jugular and carotid arteries, according to prosecutors.
Authorities said that the gruesome scene was juxtaposed with crimson rose petals strewn throughout the crime site.
Prosecutors revealed that prior to Parcell’s murder, Hughes allegedly harassed her by distributing nude photographs of her to her employer and neighbors.
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Hughes and Mello allegedly worked in tandem in their elaborate revenge scheme by exchanging hundreds of text messages formulating their plan, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
In the messages, Mello allegedly told Hughes that he obtained Parcell’s private cellphone number and instructed Hughes to “harass the s— out of her.”
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Zachary Hughes reacts after receiving two life sentences for the murder of Christina Parcell at the Greenville County Courthouse in Greenville, South Carolina, on Feb. 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
The week of Parcell’s slaying, Mello took the couple’s daughter out of the country.
Prosecutors allege Mello texted Hughes on the day Parcell was killed, asking, “how did the music research go,” with Hughes responding, “good, I’ll tell you over the phone.”
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During the trial, Hughes described to the jury how he rode a bicycle to Parcell’s house, dressing as a delivery florist to entice Parcell into opening her front door before killing her. Hughes told jurors that Mello allegedly notified him of when Parcell would be home and offered Hughes $5,000 for the murder, before increasing the payment to $10,000.
Police used the information in Hughes’ testimony to arrest Mello before Hughes even left the stand, charging Mello as an accessory before the fact of murder and for solicitation of a felony. If convicted, Mello also faces life behind bars.
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John Mello was booked into the Greenville County Jail on charges of accessory before the fact of murder and for solicitation of a felony relating to the stabbing death of Christina Parcell in 2021. (Greenville County Sheriff’s Office )
Hughes denied accepting the money but admitted to murdering Parcell to protect Mello’s child from alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Parcell and her new fiancé, Bradley Post. Post is currently awaiting trial on sexual abuse charges, but Circuit Court Judge Patrick Fant III ruled the allegations were inadmissible in the case and therefore were not presented to the jury.
“I knew from that moment on [the child] would be safe. [The child] would be safe from the sexual abuse that her mother was perpetrating on her, and there is proof that the state is hiding from you,” Hughes told the jury.
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Following his statement, Fant halted proceedings and sentenced Hughes to six months in jail for contempt of court.
“You rarely have a defendant get on the stand and detail such a heinous crime and a justification that makes no sense,” Wilkins said.
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Zachary Hughes listens to Judge Patrick Fant III instruct the jury at the trial for murder in the death of Christina Parcell at the Greenville County Courthouse in Greenville, South Carolina, on Feb. 20. (Ken Ruinard/The Anderson Independent Mail)
Hughes, who trained as a classical pianist at the Juilliard School in New York City, met Mello in 2020 after being hired to clean Mello’s house, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Hughes was found guilty of multiple charges — including murder, burglary and harassment — and was sentenced to life in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southeast
Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work
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FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said.
Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital.
During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said.
Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said. (Getty Images )
“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”
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This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)
Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said.
His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education.
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One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer.
Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE.
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Southeast
High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student
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A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.
Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.
GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.
A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)
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Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.
This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.
The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.
Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Southeast
Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms
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A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.
The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.
The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.
A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)
In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”
“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”
Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”
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A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)
“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.
The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.
“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”
“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.
“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”
Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.
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A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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