Court order reveals details about evidence on Canebrake murder suspect's phone

A judge has ordered a man charged with murder to turn over his cellphone password to investigators

A judge has ordered a man charged with murder to turn over his cellphone password to investigators

NOW TO THE LATEST IN THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE MURDER OF A WOMAN IN HER CAMBRIDGE HOME. ZACHARY HUGHES IS CHARGED WITH THE OCTOBER 2021 MURDER TODAY AT 13TH CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE HEARD TWO MOTIONS SURROUNDING THE SEARCH OF HIS CELL PHONE OUR KYLIE JONES WAS IN THE COURTROOM TODAY AND JOINS US LIVE WITH MORE KYLIE. AND AGILE, ZACHARY USES CHARGED WITH MURDER IN THE DEATH OF CHRISTINA PARCELL WHO WAS FOUND DEAD IN HER GREER HOME TODAY. ONE OF THOSE MOTIONS WAS FILED BY THE SOLICITOR’S OFFICE TO GET THE PASSWORD TO HUGHES’S CELL PHONE. IT’S SOMETHING THE SOLICITOR ARGUES HOLDS KEY INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE ZACHARY HUGHES ENTERED A GREENVILLE COUNTY COURTROOM TODAY PROSECUTOR HAS ASKED TO JUDGE TO GRANT A MOTION TO ORDER HIM TO GIVE HIS INVESTIGATORS HIS CELL PHONE PASSWORD SOLICITOR WALT WILKINS SAYS THEY CAN ONLY ACCESS PART OF THE DATA ON HIS PHONE WITHOUT THE PAST WORD. HE SAYS HUGHES HAS REFUSED TO GIVE IT TO THEM TODAY WILKINS TOLD THE JUDGE. HE BELIEVES THERE’S EVIDENCE IN HUGHES IS WHATSAPP MESSAGES PHOTOS OTHER MESSAGING APPS AND GEO LOCATIONS SAYING THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR INCLUDING MESSAGES WILKINS SAYS WITH THE OF CHRISTINA PARCEL’S CHILD. THERE’S A PHOTO ON HIS PHONE OF AN N9TH AND 95 MASS AND THAT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE PERSON EXCUSE ME ON THE BIKE THAT’S LEAVING THE SCENE HAS AN N95 MASS MATCHING THAT SPECIFIC PHOTO. SO WE WILL EITHER MAYBE OTHER PHOTOS IN THE PHOTO ROLE AND DON’T EVEN SMARTPHONE IS ONE OF IF NOT THE MOST INVASIVE TYPE OF SEARCHES THAT ANY ENTITY OR GOVERNMENT ENTITY. AS CORSET NOTE NOTED TODAY’S SMARTPHONES COULD JUST AS EASILY BE CALLED CAMERAS VIDEO PLAYERS ROLLER DEX’S CALENDARS TAPE RECORDER’S LIBRARIES DIARIES ALBUMS TELEVISIONS AND THE LIKE PEOPLE ON AND ON. THE JUDGE DID GRANT THE MOTION ORDERING HUGHES TO HAND OVER HIS CELL PHONE PASSWORD TODAY THE JUDGE ALSO DENIED A MOTION BY USES DEFENSE TEAM TO SUPPRESS THE INITIAL WARRANT TO SEARCH USES PHONE SAYING THERE WAS IN FACT ENOUGH PROBABLE CAUSE TO WARRANT THE SEARCH. HOWEVER SOME QUESTION COMING EVEN FROM THE JUDGE HERSELF ABOUT HOW EXACTLY TO ENFORCE THAT MOTION TO REQUIRE HUGHES TO HAND OVER HIS PASSWORD SAYING HE IS ALREADY BEHIND BARS WHETHER OR NOT HE COOPERATES NOW SOLICITOR WALT WILKINS SAYS IF HE DOES NOT COOPERATING GIVE OVER HIS PASSWORD THAT CAN BE HELD AGAINST HIM AT TRIAL L

Court order reveals details about evidence on Canebrake murder suspect's phone

A judge has ordered a man charged with murder to turn over his cellphone password to investigators

A judge has ordered a man charged with the murder of a woman in a Greer neighborhood to turn over his cellphone password to investigators.Zachary Hughes is charged with murder in the death of Christina Parcell. Parcell was found stabbed to death in her home in the Canebrake neighborhood of Greer in October 2021.In September, a judge granted a motion filed by the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office to compel Hughes to hand over his iPhone password. See video above.Solicitor Walt Wilkins said there was information crucial to their investigation on Hughes' phone, including messages with the father of Parcell's child, John Mello.In the order, filed at the end of September, Hughes is said to be a close friend of Mello. The order says Hughes worked for Mello, cleaning Mello's house and performing other tasks during 2020 and 2021.In October 2021, after Parcell's death, Mello was charged with custodial interference, allegedly in violation of the child custody order, he had with Parcell for their child.According to the order, Mello put Hughes as the sole person under the relationship portion of his booking log.The state alleges, Mello created a video granting Hughes exclusive rights to obtain his belongings from the airport after his arrest.When Hughes was arrested and charged with Parcell's murder, investigators say they got a search warrant for his iPhone.The state says Hughes' phone required a six-digit password to unlock. The order says a forensic technician used software to try to unlock Hughes' cellphone, but was only able to download partial information.Investigators say some of the information downloaded was encrypted and could not be read.According to the order, investigators were able to partially download WhatsApp conversations between Hughes and Mello, geolocation of the iPhone, showing location, photos, texts and emails, and data showing when the phone was turned off or placed in airplane mode.The state says there are around 1,769 WhatsApp messages between Hughes and Mello, but the messages are scrambled.The order says there is one conversation between Hughes and Mello in April 2021 where Mello tells Hughes he got Parcell's private number and tells Hughes to "harass the (expletive) out of her."According to the order, the state says numerous conversations happened between Hughes and Mello between Oct. 8, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2021, when Parcell was murdered.The state says there was a conversation on Oct. 13, 2021, where Mello asks Hughes, "How did the music research go." Hughes responds, "Good, I'll tell you over the phone."The order says investigators were also able to determine Hughes' phone was in five times; twice the day before Parcell's murder, twice the day of her murder and once six days after her murder.Solicitor Walt Wilkins says Hughes is required to comply with the order, otherwise, he could be held in contempt.Typically, Wilkins says someone held in contempt could be sent to jail, however since Hughes is already in jail, if he does not hand over his password, that can further be used against him.Hughes is in the Greenville County Detention Center.

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

A judge has ordered a man charged with the murder of a woman in a Greer neighborhood to turn over his cellphone password to investigators.

Foothills Veterinary Clinic

Zachary Hughes is charged with murder in the death of Christina Parcell.

Parcell was found stabbed to death in her home in the Canebrake neighborhood of Greer in October 2021.

Greenville County Sheriff's Office

In September, a judge granted a motion filed by the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office to compel Hughes to hand over his iPhone password. See video above.

Solicitor Walt Wilkins said there was information crucial to their investigation on Hughes' phone, including messages with the father of Parcell's child, John Mello.

Greenville County Detention Center

In the order, filed at the end of September, Hughes is said to be a close friend of Mello. The order says Hughes worked for Mello, cleaning Mello's house and performing other tasks during 2020 and 2021.

In October 2021, after Parcell's death, Mello was charged with custodial interference, allegedly in violation of the child custody order, he had with Parcell for their child.

According to the order, Mello put Hughes as the sole person under the relationship portion of his booking log.

The state alleges, Mello created a video granting Hughes exclusive rights to obtain his belongings from the airport after his arrest.

When Hughes was arrested and charged with Parcell's murder, investigators say they got a search warrant for his iPhone.

The state says Hughes' phone required a six-digit password to unlock. The order says a forensic technician used software to try to unlock Hughes' cellphone, but was only able to download partial information.

Investigators say some of the information downloaded was encrypted and could not be read.

According to the order, investigators were able to partially download WhatsApp conversations between Hughes and Mello, geolocation of the iPhone, showing location, photos, texts and emails, and data showing when the phone was turned off or placed in airplane mode.

The state says there are around 1,769 WhatsApp messages between Hughes and Mello, but the messages are scrambled.

The order says there is one conversation between Hughes and Mello in April 2021 where Mello tells Hughes he got Parcell's private number and tells Hughes to "harass the (expletive) out of her."

According to the order, the state says numerous conversations happened between Hughes and Mello between Oct. 8, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2021, when Parcell was murdered.

The state says there was a conversation on Oct. 13, 2021, where Mello asks Hughes, "How did the music research go." Hughes responds, "Good, I'll tell you over the phone."

The order says investigators were also able to determine Hughes' phone was in five times; twice the day before Parcell's murder, twice the day of her murder and once six days after her murder.

Solicitor Walt Wilkins says Hughes is required to comply with the order, otherwise, he could be held in contempt.

Typically, Wilkins says someone held in contempt could be sent to jail, however since Hughes is already in jail, if he does not hand over his password, that can further be used against him.

Hughes is in the Greenville County Detention Center.

Court order reveals details about evidence on Canebrake murder suspect's phone

A judge has ordered a man charged with murder to turn over his cellphone password to investigators

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