Melody Farris said she was innocent when her husband’s burned remains were found on their Cherokee County property in July 2018.
The body of Gary Farris, an Atlanta attorney, was found by his son in a smoldering pit, roughly 15 feet wide and about 5 inches deep, according to investigators. A bullet was recovered from his rib bone.
The following year, Melody Farris was arrested and charged with her husband’s murder. On Monday, a jury convicted her on all charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement, the district attorney said.
“In July 2018, a horrific murder occurred in Cherokee County,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a statement. “A man was shot, then left on a burn pile, where his remains were later discovered. The victim, Gary Farris, was killed by his wife on his own property. The shocking facts of this crime will forever remain with all who were involved in this case, including first responders, prosecutors, jurors and witnesses. Today, through this verdict, we are able to finally bring justice for Gary Farris.”
Melody Farris told investigators she last saw her husband on July 3, 2018, and within days, family members joined her in a search. Their youngest son, Scott Farris, discovered his father’s remains.
It took weeks for authorities to determine that the extensively burned remains belonged to the 58-year-old man, an attorney for the regional law firm Burr and Forman and the founder of its Atlanta office. Sheriff’s investigators said at the time they were “confident that this is not a stranger-on-stranger crime and Mr. Farris knew the suspect(s),” but his wife was not publicly named a suspect initially.
But during the investigation in the months that followed, she became the only suspect.
“Detectives recovered evidence indicating Ms. Farris shot and killed her husband inside their home and then tried to dispose of his body and evidence by burning it on their Purcell Lane property,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson previously said.
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One of the woman’s attorneys told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the couple’s four children supported her. But the oldest, Chris Farris, later countered that claim.
“This is very embarrassing for our family,” he said. “Our father was the best person in the world.”
It was DNA and Melody Farris’ own confession to the man she was seeing that ultimately led investigators to their suspect.
“He’s on the burn pile,” she allegedly told Rusty Barton, her Tennessee love interest at the time. Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Detective Daniel Hayes testified about the phone call and other jarring details during a probable cause hearing after her arrest.
Her lawyer said Melody Farris’ alleged affair with Barton was not a secret. She and Gary Farris lived separate lives under the same roof, with him living in the basement while she spent time on the upper two floors of their $1 million home, the attorney previously said.
In November 2019, Farris was granted a $250,000 bond and had been out of jail until her conviction. She was taken back into custody Monday, the DA’s office said.
“Collaboration with other agencies was critical in the investigation of this case,” Cherokee Sheriff Frank Reynolds said. “We are thankful for our law enforcement partners as well as other agencies that played a key role in arresting and, ultimately, convicting Melody Farris for the murder of her husband.”
Sentencing will be held in December.
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