GREENVILLE, S.C. (Court TV) — A concert pianist known for memorizing Beethoven’s sonatas will stand trial in February on charges he brutally murdered a woman whose body was found surrounded by rose petals.
Zachary Hughes is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the death of Christina Parcell. Parcell was stabbed approximately 31 times in her home on Oct. 13, 2021.
At the time of his arrest, police said Hughes, a Juilliard-trained pianist, had no criminal history. Investigators linked Hughes to Parcell through Hughes’ friend, John Mello. At the time of Parcell’s death, she was in a custody battle with Mello over their shared daughter and Mello was facing charges of custodial interference for taking the child out of the country…