CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A jury has decided the fate of the wife of a prominent metro Atlanta attorney accused of shooting him and burning his body, according to the district attorney's office.
Melody Walker Farris, 64, was found guilty of the July 2018 murder of Gary Wayne Farris, the district attorney's office announced Monday. The Cherokee County woman was convicted of all charges: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement.
The murder trial came after human remains were found on a burn pile in 2018 just 100 yards from their home on Purcell Lane in Cherokee County. The remains were discovered in a wooded area on the 10-acre property that included a pond, a creek and several pastures.
Gary Farris was a prominent attorney with Burr and Forman. According to the district attorney's office, Melody Farris told detectives that her husband had started the fire on the property days prior. She also mentioned that her husband had medical problems and suggested he could have had a medical emergency or accidental death.
However, the district attorney's office said signs of foul play became apparent when law enforcement discovered a bullet lodged in Gary's rib cage and a spent bullet inside the home. They also found blood spots on the home's basement floor and steps.
During a 2019 hearing, Det. Daniel Hayes testified that investigators found ash and blood on some of his wife's clothes during the investigation.
But it was a late-night phone call to her alleged lover that led to Melody Farris' arrest. The man she was allegedly having an affair with told investigators he spoke with her the night before her husband's remains were found. Hayes testified that the man said she told him, "He's on the burn pile."
Gary Farris and Melody Farris were married for 38 years. But investigators said it was a strained relationship for years. The married couple lived on separate floors in their home, and they hadn't slept in the same bedroom for years. Several years prior to the murder, Melody Farris allegedly began her affair.
"They would meet at a hotel in Dalton, spend the day together, and then both drive home," Hayes said.
Hayes testified that Melody used multiple "burner" phones to communicate secretly with her lover.
Back in 2019, her attorney, Michael Ray, said that there was evidence missing from the case.
"And there are a lot of things, frankly, they didn't find," Ray previously said in defense of his client. "I believe, just like she told me when I first met her, that she's 100% innocent of these charges."
The district attorney's office said in a 2024 release that during the jury trial, the State called 36 witnesses to testify and introduced more than 1,200 pieces of evidence. This included crime scene photos, digital evidence from cell phone extractions, cell phone records, cell phone tower records, Google records and other digital evidence.
Det. Hayes testified in 2019 that the married couple had fought the night the Gary Farris was killed. Hayes said Gary Farris, a successful attorney, controlled the finances. It was also said that Melody Farris complained to investigators that she had to ask her husband for permission to spend any money.
During closing arguments this year, Lead Prosecutor Meaghan Frankish told the jury it was their duty to hold people accountable when they commit murder and told them to find Melody Farris guilty on all counts.
"The last thing he [Gary Farris] saw was staring down the barrel of a 38-revolver in the hands of his bitter wife, who was constantly betraying him. This was the ultimate betrayal,” Frankish told the jury. "You do not get to shoot and mutilate your life partner. You don’t get to take away the grandfather of your grandchildren. That is not your choice to make. The ultimate betrayal. Gary will not walk through that door and that’s because she took him off this planet. Find her guilty of all the counts in this indictment. The evidence and the law demand it.”
The jury deliberated for over three days before finding Melody Farris guilty of all charges. Under Georgia law, the convictions carry a minimum sentence of life in prison, and Melody Farris has been remanded into custody.
Her sentencing hearing will happen in December, according to a judge. The exact date is currently unknown.