The Killing on Canebrake: Trial postponed due to juror shortage
GREER, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A high-profile murder trial was set to begin in Greenville on Monday, but it has been postponed.
Zachary Hughes, a Juilliard-trained pianist, is charged with the murder of Christina Parcell, 41, in October 2021.
Parcell was found stabbed more than 30 times in her home on Canebrake Drive.
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Jury selection began on Monday, but the court was unable to qualify enough jurors. They were hoping to seat 12 with four alternates, but ran into difficulties with jurors able to commit to at least two weeks for the trial.
Clerk of Court Jay Gresham also said they sent out 161 jury summons and 93 of them failed to appear in court on Monday.
“This is only increasing that backlog,” Gresham said. “We’ve got other trials that are being jeopardized too. This is, frankly, a waste of taxpayer money when we don’t have jurors to show up. It’s impacting us all. We have to all show up as a community and do our duty.”
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They are rescheduling the trial within 45 days. The court is also working with the sheriff and solicitor’s office to address the issue of low juror turnout.
“Every juror plays a critical role in ensuring fair trials and upholding the principles of justice that are fundamental to our legal system,” Gresham said. “Jury service is not just a legal obligation—it is a civic duty and a right we share as Americans, one that many people around the world can only dream of.”
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THE CASE
Prosecutors say Hughes worked with the father of Parcell’s child, John Mello, to harass the victim in the months before her death.
Hughes and Mello exchanged more than one thousand text messages, including on the day Parcell was killed. The sheriff said physical evidence points to Hughes as the man responsible, although the motive in the case has not yet been released.
During the investigation into Parcell’s murder, deputies said they uncovered child pornography on devices possessed by her fiancé, Bradly Post.
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