Jury deliberations are set to resume Monday in the trial of a Georgia woman accused of killing her husband and burning his remains on their property.
Melody Walker Farris is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement in the death of her husband, Gary Farris, who was a prominent Atlanta-area attorney.
The couple, who were married for 38 years, lived on a working farm in Alpharetta that spanned approximately 10 acres. They lived in the main house together, while one of their four adult children lived in an apartment above the barn.
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On July 5, 2018, deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office were called to the property for a report of human remains in a fire.
Detectives initially believed Gary could have suffered a medical issue and fallen into the fire, but quickly began investigating the case as a homicide after a bullet was found lodged in one of Gary’s rib bones. The bullet, a .38, did not match any weapon found during searches of the property.
Investigators say the Farris marriage was rocky, and Court TV reviewed documents showing that Gary filed for divorce in February 2010. The petition was dismissed that August.
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Melody initially denied having any extramarital affairs when asked by investigators, and then later claimed her affair with Roy ‘Rusty’ Barton ended a year before her husband’s death. But investigators determined that was a lie, and later arrested her in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where she had been spending time with Barton.
Prosecutors say at the time of the murder, the couple had been arguing about finances, specifically Gary’s refusal to give Melody money and instead giving it to their adult children.
This story was originally published by Lauren Silver and Tiffany Smith at Court TV.
