In March 1994, 19-year-old Shannon Melendi vanished after scorekeeping an afternoon softball game in Atlanta, and it wasn’t until 12 years later that someone confessed to abducting, raping and murdering the Miami native. Colvin “Butch” Hinton, a Delta Airlines employee and umpire at the softball club, was charged with her murder 10 years later, according to WKYC.
Melendi’s body was never found and authorities never located a crime scene but Hinton was found guilty of her murder regardless, the first person to be found guilty of murder in the state without a crime scene or body. Following his last failed appeal, Hinton confessed to Melendi’s murder.
Where is Butch Hinton, Melendi’s convicted killer today?
Hinton Was Sentenced to Life in Prison But Is Eligible for Parole Every 7 Years Due to Georgia Law
Hinton, now 60, is currently serving a life sentence at the Hays State Prison in Chattooga County, Georgia, state records show. Hinton was eligible for parole seven years after his 2005 conviction under Georgia law, which was denied in 2012, a press release stated. He was again denied parole in 2020 and will be up for parole consideration next in February 2025.
In March 2020, after he was denied parole for the second time, Melendi’s family said, “Thank God, and thank the paroles board. And thank those who have stood with us in this forever fight. We are so very grateful for the support from the community, for helping us continue to fight for justice for Shannon. At last we can breathe, and we’ll be able to breathe for another seven or eight years,” WKYC reported.
Melendi’s family is fighting to keep Hinton behind bars forever, running campaigns and petition drives, because the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole was not available at the time under Georgia’s laws, the outlet wrote. In 2011, Melendi’s family ran a petition drive helped by U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to deny Hinton’s parole and the efforts led to 77,000 signatures, the Miami Herald reported.
The Former Delta Airlines Employee Confessed to Murdering Melendi After His Conviction
After his appeals were all denied, Hinton eventually confessed to the crime in a meeting in jail witnessed by his attorney, prosecutors and ABC News. He said he raped the teenager twice but was extremely concerned about his actions and getting caught, ABC News reported. Melendi was calm throughout the day, he said, “She didn’t ever try to scratch — no hitting. I kept telling her, ‘As soon as I get your car sold or rid of, I will let you go,’ and she said ‘All right.'”
He told ABC News that in the middle of the night, he decided to kill her and strangled her to death with a tie. “She didn’t even know I was standing there. I came over on top of her real quick. … I took the tie and put it around her neck. … I think I crossed it, and I strangled her right there,” he said, adding that Melendi was likely asleep when he killed her.
Shannon Melendi’s father Luis said while he knows Hinton murdered his daughter, he doesn’t believe the confession. “He is a more professional criminal than the police are professional policemen,” he told ABC News. “He killed her and burned her body in the backyard? The police were out there and they could not find a trace of my daughter. I don’t believe that. I’m sitting here, and I don’t believe that.”
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