Who killed Shannon Melendi? Miami native made headlines after disappearing from a softball game in Atlanta in 1994
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Well-known for being a convicted felon who was found guilty of murdering Shannon Melendi is Colvin 'Butch' Hinton III. He was employed as an umpire at the Softball Country Club at the time.
Shannon worked at the same club as a scorekeeper, and they occasionally collaborated. According to WKYC, he frequently worked the same softball games at which Shannon kept score.
It took the police ten years to prosecute him for the murder, despite the link. Additionally, Butch had a lengthy history of sexual assault, which came to light during his trial.
In 1995, he was also found guilty of arson and insurance fraud, receiving a seven-year jail sentence. Police kept looking into Butch as a possible suspect in Shannon's disappearance even after he was imprisoned.
Through the use of jailhouse informants in their investigation, law enforcement was able to gather testimony that Butch had admitted to the crime while he was incarcerated. Butch is still serving his sentence in Georgia as of 2024, and he has already had two parole denials.
In 2025, he will once again be qualified for parole. On May 25, 2024, Dateline will rerun a special show featuring Butch's trial and Shannon's murder case.
You can view the real crime exposé on Peacock and Hulu as well.
Who was Shannon Melendi?
Shannon, a student at Southwestern High School, was murdered thirty years ago this past March. Shannon's family paid tribute to her memory at her alma mater by instructing kids on safety precautions they feel may have saved her life.
Shannon served as the class president at Miami's Southwest High School throughout her junior and senior years. She was captain of the debate team, played soccer, ran cross country, and graduated in the top 3% of her class.
When did Shannon Melendi disappear?
Shannon vanished from her off-campus, part-time job in March 1994, when she was just 19 years old and a freshman at Emory University. She was absent during her lunch break from her job as a softball scorekeeper.
How was Colvin 'Butch' Hinton caught?
Luis Melendi, Shannon's father, is said to have informed authorities that his daughter had been abducted not long after Shannon vanished. However, according to reports, the police implied that she could have fled and would return on her own.
According to reports, the police treated the matter with contempt and made little effort. Luis then began his own search for his daughter.
The parents gathered thousands of dollars and posted missing posters of Shannon all around Atlanta, announcing that anybody with verifiable information would get a $10,000 prize.
An unidentified male caller left a message for the counseling service at Emory University on April 6, 1994. According to reports, the guy left a note saying that the victim was with him and doing OK.
In addition, he promised to call back with further demands. Following their involvement, the FBI located the call at a pay phone.
It has been alleged that the caller left some taped-over evidence. Within the wrap, authorities discovered a bag.
Shannon's blue topaz ring, a gift from her grandmother, was inside the bag. Jerry Chastain, the pitcher for the game where Shannon was last seen, was subsequently questioned by the authorities.
He informed them that the umpire had been sidetracked that day and had occasionally glanced at the scorekeeper.
Butch's alibi didn't match what those around him said when investigators questioned him. A lie detector test was administered to him, and he failed it.
But not enough proof was gathered by the authorities to keep him detained. Subsequently, they discovered that the bag containing Shannon's ring was exclusively utilized by Delta Airlines.
At the time, Butch was employed in the Delta Airlines Technical Operations Center's machine shop.
Butch ran out of appeals after his 2005 conviction and ultimately admitted to the crime, telling ABC News that he had raped the woman twice as well.
"She didn’t even 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 said to the media outlet.
Butch said that "she didn't even know I was standing there" the night he made the decision to kill her.
"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 continued by confessing that he had burned Shannon's corpse, and he then took his wife to an Olive Garden for dinner. He also handed her one of the rings he removed from Shannon's body over dinner.
After a while, the guilt got to be too much to handle, and he started to become suspicious of the FBI and law enforcement.
Why did Colvin 'Butch' Hinton kill Shannon Melendi?
Authorities discovered other sweaters and other clothing belonging to women who were neither Shannon's nor Butch's wives during a search of his home. Examining his file showed that Butch had abducted and molested a fourteen-year-old girl in 1982 and had received a four-year jail sentence due to mental illness.
It is said that he served for fewer than two years. However, Butch was put on trial in 2005, despite the fact that the evidence against him was not very strong at the time.
According to an ABC News article, Butch told his father he killed Shannon when he was visiting the jail, even though he maintained his innocence. He allegedly made contact with the victim before their lunch date at a Burger King.
Butch pretended to have taken a wrong turn and ended up driving toward his house as they made their way back to the baseball field. Then he begged the victim to drive, saying he had cramps in his leg.
He slid into the backseat and grabbed a knife there. Butch forced the victim to drive to his house while holding a knife to her neck.
Butch is said to have informed her that he merely intended to take her automobile after tying her up at his house before taking off in her vehicle to go to the baseball game. After that, he abandoned the car at a petrol station in the hopes that it would be stolen and no one would find out.
Butch acknowledged assaulting Shannon and raping her. Then, he said, he had tied her to a bedpost and used a necktie to strangle her.
When was Colvin 'Butch' Hinton sentenced for Shannon Melendi's murder?
Butch was taken into custody in 2004 after killing Shannon Melendi. Butch was convicted the next year, in 2005, and given a life sentence.
According to ABC News, he was "the first defendant in Georgia's history to be convicted of murder without a body or a crime scene." Georgia law allows him to be released on parole every seven years.
Why was parole denied to Colvin 'Butch' Hinton?
Butch was initially eligible for parole in 2012, and he was most recently granted release in 2020. The parole board has refused to grant him parole each time.
When his parole was last considered in March 2020, it was rejected.
"Thank God, and thank the paroles board." Shannon's parents, Yvonne and Luis Melendi stated at the time, "And thank those who have stood with us in this forever fight," according to WKYC.
"We are so very grateful for the support from the community, for helping us continue to fight for justice for Shannon," her sister Monique Melendi continued.
In 2025, Butch's parole will be reviewed again. He is currently serving a life sentence in jail.
Shannon's family will recommence the battle to keep Butch incarcerated. "We have to keep this man in jail; in prison, we can’t let him come out, do what he did to Shannon, and then Shannon’s death would be in vain," Luis told NBC Miami News.
Was Shannon Melendi's body ever found?
Butch burnt Shannon's body in a campfire he created in his backyard.
"To this day, her body’s never been found, my mother died never having the closure of burying her child," Monique said. "To this day, we’re still fighting to keep her murderer behind bars," she continued.
