SHANNON Melendi, a Miami native, made headlines in March 1994 after she disappeared from a softball game in Atlanta.
To this day, Shannon Melendi's remains have never been found, but Butch Hinton was charged and found guilty, making him the only person in the state of Georgia to be convicted of murder without a crime scene or a body.
Who is Butch Hinton and where is he now?
Colvin “Butch” Hinton III, 61, is famously known as a convicted felon who was found guilty of killing Shannon Melendi.
At the time, he was working as an umpire at the Softball Country Club.
Melendi was a scorekeeper at the same club, and the two interacted occasionally as co-workers.
Two New York cops stabbed during celebrations in Times Square
He often worked the same softball games Melendi was scorekeeping at, according to WKYC.
Still, despite the connection, it took the police 10 years to charge him with the murder.
Hinton also had a long history of sexual assault, which was later revealed at his trial.
He was also convicted arsonist who was found guilty of arson and insurance fraud in 1995, earning him seven years in prison.
While Hinton was in prison, police continued to investigate him as a potential suspect in Melendi's disappearance.
Law enforcement used jailhouse informants in their investigation, who testified that Hinton had implicated himself in the crime during his time in prison.
As of 2024, Hinton remains incarcerated in Georgia and has been denied parole twice.
He will next be eligible for parole in 2025.
Dateline will re-air a special episode of Hinton's trial and Melendi's murder case on Saturday, May 25, 2024.
The true crime exposé is also available to stream on Peacock and Hulu.
At least nine killed after New Year's Day stampede at shopping centre
When was Hinton sentenced for Shannon Melendi's murder?
In 2004, Hinton was arrested for Melendi's murder.
The following year, in 2005, Hinton was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
He was "the first defendant in Georgia's history to be convicted of murder without a body or a crime scene," according to ABC News.
He is eligible for parole every seven years under Georgia law.
He was last up for parole in March 2020 but was denied.
"Thank God, and thank the paroles board. And thank those who have stood with us in this forever fight," Melendi's parents Yvonne and Luis Melendi said at the time, 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 added.
Hinton's next parole consideration is in 2025.
"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.
"To this day, her body’s never been found, my mother died never having the closure of burying her child," Benton said.
"To this day, we’re still fighting to keep her murderer behind bars," she added.
How was Hinton caught?
Police were finally able to connect Hinton to the case after receiving an anonymous phone call.
After tracing the call to a phone booth, they found Melendi's rings wrapped in tape inside a bag.
Traces of cobalt were found on the tape and an aeronautical scientist concluded that it had come from an aircraft manufacturer or an aircraft repair place.
At the time, Hinton was an airline mechanic for Delta Airlines in Atlanta.
Following Hinton's 2005 conviction, he exhausted his appeals and eventually confessed to the crime, telling ABC News that he also raped her twice.
"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 told the media outlet.
On the night that he decided to kill her, Hinton said that “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 then went on to admit that he had incinerated Melendi's body and proceeded to take his wife out to dinner at an Olive Garden.
At dinner, he even gave her one of the rings he took off of Melendi's body.
Eventually, the guilt became too much to bear, and his paranoia with law enforcement and the FBI began to grow.
