Renowned Atlanta-area lawyer, Gary Farris, met a tragic end, and his wife, Melody Walker Farris, stands as the primary suspect in what has turned out to be a homicide investigation. The charges against her include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, as well as concealing a death and making false statements. This grisly story begins to unfold on the Farris’ property, a functioning farm situated in Alpharetta, sprawling out over an impressive ten acres.
Marital bliss was a dream long lost to the couple, as they had spent an eventful 38 years together. Their living arrangements saw them both in the main house, their cohabitation was broken only by the occupation of one of their four children, who took up residence in an apartment loft above the barn. Their life, on the exterior, appeared to be idyllic, yet beneath the surface lurked undertones of discord and tension.
On a fateful day in early July 2018, a grim discovery turned this familial idyll into a chilling crime scene. Following the report of finding human remains within a fire on the property, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies descended upon the scene. Initially thought to be a tragic accident, wherein Gary Farris may have suffered some medical catastrophe and unwittingly fallen into the fire, the scene quickly took on a more sinister demeanor.
A post-mortem revelation twisted the narrative further into the realm of the criminal, as a bullet was discovered in one of Gary’s rib bones. It was not merely the presence of the bullet, but crucially, that it was a .38, a caliber which did not correspond to any firearm detected on the property during subsequent searches. This information led the investigators to shift their perspective from accident to deliberate homicide.
As detectives delved deeper into the private life of the Farris couple, they began to uncover a marital relationship that was fraught with tension. It became apparent that the couple’s four-decade union was far from tranquil. Explore further, the investigation unearthed a significant piece of information – amidst these trials, Gary Farris had filed for divorce in February 2010, only for the request to be rescinded later that year in August.
Further widening the fissures in their relationship was Melody’s initial denial to law enforcement officials about having an extramarital affair. Her admissions, which later shifted to admitting an affair that had ended a year prior to her husband’s apparent murder, intrigued the investigators. The alleged affair with a man named Roy ‘Rusty’ Barton became another pivotal point in the narrative.
The labyrinth of untruths continued as investigators discovered that Melody’s story about her relationship with Barton was in fact false. This turning point led them along a different track and offered grounds for her arrest. The abundance of inconsistencies manufactured by Melody heightened suspicions, despite her efforts to distance herself from the crime.
Melody’s trail led the investigators nearly three hundred miles away to Tullahoma, Tennessee. In this small city, where she had been covertly spending time with Barton, they found and arrested her, significantly advancing the investigation into Gary Farris’s mysterious and tragic death.
Digging into the final moments that led to Gary’s untimely death, the prosecution discovered another point of contention between the couple – money. Money had always been a sore point within their union, particularly Gary’s adamant refusal to provide funds for Melody. In an ironic twist, despite refusing his wife, Gary was known to be generous towards their adult children.
This ongoing financial dispute between the spouses served to heighten the accusations against Melody. This, coupled with her lies and the physical evidence against her, painted a seemingly clear picture for both the investigators and the prosecution. The tragic loss of a prominent lawyer was now a chilling tale of familial ties, betrayal, and murder.