The Murder of Shannon Melendi

Written By Kiley Baumgartner

For this case, I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 11 episode 26, titled ‘Ring Him Up.’

A young college student disappears after working at a softball game.

Background

Shannon Melendi was the president of high school class at Southwest Miami High School. She was also a member of the National Honors Society, and graduated cum laude. After graduation, Shannon went to Emory University in Atlanta, where she was attending when she disappeared.

Shannon’s parents described her as having a great presence, and was great in everything she did.

Shannon Melendi

The Disappearance

On March 26, 1994, Shannon was working as a scorekeeper at a morning softball game to earn extra money. Shannon had left for the lunch break between games, but never returned.

When Shannon was first reported missing, the police didn’t take it seriously. They said Shannon had just returned to school after spring break, and had probably gone out somewhere with friends.

The next day, Shannon’s roommate found her abandoned car, a black Nissan 240 SX, in a gas station parking lot. The keys were still inside the car.

The car wasn’t treated as evidence. The police had Shannon’s roommate drive the car back to campus. It wasn’t treated as anything important until several days later.

The First Suspect

The school officials received an odd call just 11 days after Shannon disappeared. The caller, a male, said that he had Shannon, and that she was okay. He also described a ring that Shannon had received from her aunt. He said he would be calling back later to make his demands. He never called back.

The police were able to trace the call to a payphone, 20 miles away. No fingerprints were found, but the police did find a small cloth bag. Inside the bag, the police found the ring wrapped in masking tape.

Shannon’s family made a plea to the kidnapper to give them their daughter back. They continued to put up missing persons posters, and put up a $10,000 reward.

The police interviewed everyone that had been at the softball field on the day Shannon disappeared. They learned that a man named Butch Hinton, a Delta Airlines mechanic, had been working that day as the home plate umpire. Butch apparently couldn’t keep his eyes off of Shannon, and had spoken to her even during the game.

The Search

Butch was questioned by the police. He told them that he had spoken to Shannon, but didn’t see her after the game. Butch said he went home, and made several phone calls. The police checked his phone records, and seemed to have ruled him out.

The police returned to Butch’s home 6 months after Shannon disappeared. A fire had started in one of the upstairs bedrooms in his home. Butch claimed he had an accident with his vacuum cleaner. Butch sent a claim in to his insurance company. However, it was clear to police that it was arson. There was accelerant poured on the floor, and the fire had been sent intentionally.

The police also spoke to Butch’s neighbor. The neighbor told them that Butch had a bonfire on the night that Shannon had disappeared, which was odd.

A warrant was obtained for the backyard of Butch’s home. A backhoe had been used to excavate the fire pit. In the fire pit, dozens of women’s sweaters, all in petite sizes, were located. Also in the fire pit, were wire ties, cleaning products, and plastic pants, like crime scene investigators wore. The police also found 9 rolls of masking tape in Butch’s garage.

Shannon’s family didn’t recognize any of the sweaters as belonging to Shannon. Butch claimed that he didn't know anything about them, and that they had probably belonged to the previous owners.

Butch was charged with arson and mail fraud, and was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

A Cold Case

While Butch was in prison, Shannon’s dad, Luis, was told by the FBI, that Shannon had most likely been murdered by Butch.

Shannon’s case fell to the wayside, and several larger cases like O.J. Simpson became front page news. However, her case was eventually reopened almost a decade later. There was pressure on the prosecution because Butch was about to be released from prison.

John Petrey reexamined Shannon’s case. He started by looking at the bag that had contained Shannon’s ring. The ring didn't have any forensics on it, but the bag held some important clues.

The bag had been manufactured by the Millhiser Company. Only one company in Atlanta, The Fulton Paper Company, had purchased these bags. Then, Delta Airlines had purchased the bags from them to ship small engine parts. Now remember, Butch had been working as a mechanic for Delta, when Shannon disappeared.

Similar cloth bags had been found in Butch’s desk during the original investigation. The bags were compared to the bag that had contained the ring. The bags were consistent in construction and size. The weave pattern was also a match.

The masking tape found wrapped around Shannon’s ring was also compared to the rolls of tape found in Butch’s garage. The width of the tape was consistent, as well as the adhesive and coating surface.

There were also tiny metallic particles found on the tape. An infrared spectrometer was used to take a closer look. The particles were from a copper nickel alloy. This specific alloy was used by the aerospace industry, and Delta Airlines had used this to coat jet engine parts.

The same alloy was found on the rolls of tape found in Butch’s garage. The police believed Butch had stolen the bags and tape from work.

The Conviction

The police had learned by digging into Butch’s background that Butch had 3 prior convictions for sexual assault and kidnapping in Illinois.

Butch’s ex-wife had walked in on him assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and testified against him. She said that Butch had bound the girl’s hands and ankles, and had put tape over her mouth.

Butch had only been sentenced to 4 years, but got out in 2, and had moved to Atlanta.

Butch was charged with Shannon’s murder in 2004.

The prosecution believed that Butch had met Shannon at the softball game, and took a liking to her. The Forensic Files episode said that they could have gone out to to lunch together, and he took her back to his house. While at his home, he assaulted and killed her.

It’s believed that Butch had cremated Shannon’s body in the fire pit. Her remains have never been found. He then drove her car to the gas station, and went home to make those phone calls to establish his alibi.

Butch Hinson was found guilty of felony murder, and sentenced to life in prison. He was the first person in Georgia to be convicted of murder without a body or crime scene.

Butch has been denied parole, but is up for parole again in 2025.

Butch Hinson in an earlier photo

The scum that is Butch Hinson, in a more recent photo

Kiley Baumgartner
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