Latest news with #Parcell
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WVU Tech School of Nursing to pin 22 students on Thursday
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — WVU Tech's School of Nursing will be holding their pinning ceremony on Thursday, May 8, 2025. West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine celebrates 48th commencement ceremony The ceremony dates back all the way to Florence Nightengale's first nursing school and signifies and honors the student's choice to pursue the path of nursing as a career. This year, the School of Nursing has twenty-two students ready to be pinned and start the next step in their careers. Hillary Parcell, Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, said each pinning ceremony they hold can only benefit the nursing community as a whole. 'Each year, we seem to gain a few students which is a great sign and it's just, we're producing more nurses out there to help with the nursing shortage and to help in our communities,' said Parcell. Parcell said most students being pinned this year already have jobs lined up for after they graduate and pass their NCLEX, or the National Council Licensure Exam- the test needed to obtain a nursing license. She said seeing these students take their next steps into the field of nursing makes her very proud. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02-05-2025
Rose petals and a blade: Pianist confesses in woman's 2021 stabbing death
It began with a 911 call from a quiet, suburban neighborhood outside Greenville, South Carolina, on an autumn morning in 2021. When police arrived, they came upon a grisly scene: a single mother and veterinary technician had been stabbed to death in the living room of her home. They also found red rose petals scattered about and a pungent chemical odor that perplexed them. What came next was equally shocking -- the arrest of Zachary Hughes, a 29-year-old Juilliard-trained pianist with no criminal record and no known relationship with the 41-year-old victim, Christina Parcell. "We had no suspects and then with a click of a button, it's like, well, we just figured out who did it," Greenville County Sheriff's Office Master Deputy Blake Wolfe said. "I felt like I just won the lottery." A new "20/20" episode, "The Rose Petal Murder," airing Friday, May 2, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu, examines the case. You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your "20/20" podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts. On Oct. 13, 2021, Parcell's then-fiancé, Bradly Post, found Parcell lying in a pool of blood with 35 stab wounds. "It was a slaughter -- make no mistake about that," Tina Parcell, the victim's sister, told ABC News. Post informed officers that Christina was embroiled in a bitter custody dispute with a man named John Mello, the father of her 9-year-old daughter. He told police that they should look into Mello, who was then living in Italy. However, the investigation took an unexpected turn when Post himself came under scrutiny for an entirely different reason. "Bradly Post appeared in pristine condition, freshly showered in a sports coat, a white shirt, slacks and loafers," 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said. "Not somebody that had just committed a horrific murder." While Post was cleared of the murder, investigators say they made a disturbing discovery. He agreed to let police examine his phone, signed a consent form and provided the police with his password. According to court documents, detectives found "a high volume of child pornography" on his devices which led to his arrest on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The breakthrough in the murder case came when police obtained ring camera footage from a neighbor's home across the street from Parcell's residence. It showed a figure entering the front of her home on the morning she was killed. "We were extremely lucky the Ring camera across the street was highly sensitive to cars driving by and a white Ford Explorer drove by at the exact moment that the individual was walking up," Wilkins said. Other security camera images around the neighborhood showed a man entering and leaving the area on a black bike. In an interview with ABC News, Mello denied any involvement in Parcell's murder. However, although Mello was confirmed to be in Italy when Parcell was killed and police cleared him of the murder, investigators scrutinized his circle of friends and acquaintances. They believed that the contentious custody dispute between Mello and Parcell provided a motive for her murder. The investigation led police to Michael Manigault, an associate of Mello, who managed some of Mello's affairs in Greenville. While Manigault was quickly ruled out as a suspect, he provided crucial information by mentioning Hughes' connection to Mello. Using a state motor vehicle database, investigators quickly identified a gold Ford truck that belonged to Hughes. They then searched images captured by a roadside Flock camera, which reads and photographs license plates, and discovered that on the day of Parcell's murder, Hughes' truck was captured with a black bike in the truck bed that matched the bike filmed near the crime scene. Authorities then obtained a DNA sample from Hughes that matched DNA found underneath Parcell's fingernails. Hughes was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He pleaded not guilty. Hughes took the stand at his February trial and testified that he killed Parcell after he became convinced that she was a prostitute, a drug addict and a danger to her child -- accusations made by Mello that were never substantiated. "There was no evidence that suggested that Christina was a prostitute or drug dealer or escort," investigator Jarrad Sparkman told "20/20." Although he never met Parcell, Hughes testified that he believed her daughter was not safe in her custody and that he needed to act. "I realized that this was just the only way to save a child," Hughes said. During his testimony, Hughes made claims that Parcell's daughter was being sexually abused by both Parcell and Post -- allegations the judge ruled were irrelevant and not admissible at his trial. The judge reprimanded Hughes, who was later held in contempt of court. Investigators told "20/20" it's important to note that nobody knew of the allegations against Post until after Parcell was murdered. Hughes' defense team sought to argue that the killing did not constitute murder because there was "no malice in Zack's heart." Prosecutors, meanwhile, portrayed the crime as a cold-blooded murder that was carefully planned. Hughes testified that Mello offered him $5,000 and later $10,000 to kill Parcell out of fear for his daughter's safety -- money Hughes claimed he turned down. When ABC News reached out to Mello regarding the alleged offer of payment, Mello responded, "It never happened." Jurors took fewer than three hours to reach a guilty verdict. Hughes was soon sentenced to life in prison. The day before the verdict, police arrested Mello and charged him with accessory before the fact to a felony and solicitation to commit a felony in connection with Parcell's death. Hughes said he plans to appeal his conviction. Meanwhile, both Mello and Post remain in custody at the Greenville County Detention Center, awaiting their respective trials. Neither has entered a plea. "20/20" reached out to Mello's attorney, but Mello declined to answer questions and says he looks forward to his day in court. In an exclusive interview with ABC News, juror David Collins said Hughes "had many, many ways to save a child if he felt she was in danger" that didn't leave Parcell dead. "He was trying to play God and he was trying to play the judge and he was trying to play the executor. It was his law and no one else's law. And I believe that he took the law in his own hands, and he didn't give another human being a chance to explain themselves," Collins said. "There was no sense of remorse."
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WVU Tech seeking new ways to populate nursing positions
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia is known for its beauty, scenery and the good hearted citizens that populate it. On the flip-side of that coin, the population is aging quickly. According to The Robert Graham Center, West Virginia will need to increase by 190 medical providers, or 14%, to keep up with population demand by 2030. WVU Tech is seeking to combat the nursing shortage here in the Mountain State. In the past few years, the Nursing Program has begun using incentives to populate their classrooms. One of these incentives is waiving the NCLEX fee for those who successfully pass their first attempt. Gov. Justice: Access to education fuels dramatic graduation from nursing programs 'The testing fee is $200, and if they pass that licensure exam on their first attempt, then will reimburse them that $200. So that's been really effective for us and it's a great kind of start for the nurses,' said Hilllary Parcell, the CBSN Program Chairperson. Parcell said that the class size for the Nursing Program at WVU Tech has grown by around 5 students per year since the COVID pandemic. Parcell said that choosing the best college and asking questions for prospecting future nurses is the first step. 'Researching your work and nursing programs, you're wanting to look at things like who are we seeing on campus who won't be going far away from home? What are some area resources? Scholarships. Also things like the NCLEX that you want to make sure you're going to the school that's accredited and has a good NCLEXpass rate. Those kinds of things,' said Parcell. How West Virginia's aging population affects the nursing shortage The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission offers up to $40,000 in loan forgiveness to medical students who agree to practice in state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Yahoo
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. Juilliard-trained Concert Pianist Charged In Sc Pet Hospital Staffer's 'Very Violent' Stabbing Death Parcell's lifeless body was found inside her home with over 30 stab wounds, including to her jugular and carotid arteries, according to prosecutors. Read On The Fox News App 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. SIGN UP TO GET True Crime Newsletter 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." Fugitive Wife Of Slain California Fire Captain Served Time For Ex's Death As Manhunt Extends Beyond Us Borders 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." GET REAL TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub 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. Princeton Preppy Accused In Soccer Star Brother's Gruesome Murder Heads To Court: What To Know 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. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X 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. South Carolina Death Row Inmate Chooses Firing Squad As Execution Method 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 article source: Juilliard-trained pianist convicted of murder after mid-trial confession leads to additional arrest
Los Angeles Times
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep talk: Norco unveils standout freshman pitcher Jordan Ayala
It's already time to get excited about a freshman baseball player. Pitcher Jordan Ayla of Norco High made a sensational debut last week against Orange Lutheran, striking out 11 in a 2-1 victory. He retired the first 11 batters and gave up two hits with one walk in 5 1/3 innings. 'He's really good,' Norco coach Gary Parcell said. Ayala was clocked throwing fastballs in the 90s. Besides his good velocity, it's Ayala's poise that makes Parcell convinced the right-hander has a talent for pitching. He's also a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. He was originally attending South Hills until transferring to Norco in November. 'We're really young and adding a young pitcher like that takes you to another level,' Parcell said. … The City Section boys' basketball semifinals in Division I are Wednesday, with Granada Hills hosting Poly and L.A. Jordan hosting Grant. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email
