Jury Deliberations Resume in Trial of Georgia Woman Accused of Murdering and Burning Husband

Jury deliberations are set to resume Monday in the trial of Melody Walker Farris, a Georgia woman accused of killing her husband, Gary Farris, and burning his remains on their property. Melody Farris is charged with multiple crimes, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, and making a false statement in connection with her husband’s death.

Gary Farris, a prominent Atlanta-area attorney, was found dead on July 5, 2018, when deputies with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of human remains in a fire on the couple’s 10-acre farm in Alpharetta. Initially, detectives considered the possibility that Gary might have suffered a medical issue and fallen into the fire, but the discovery of a .38 bullet lodged in one of his rib bones led them to investigate the case as a homicide. The bullet did not match any weapon found during searches of the property.

The Farris marriage, which lasted 38 years, was described as rocky. Court documents revealed that Gary had filed for divorce in February 2010, but the petition was dismissed that August. Investigators also uncovered evidence of Melody’s extramarital affair with a man named Roy ‘Rusty’ Barton, which she initially denied and later claimed had ended a year before her husband’s death. However, this was found to be a lie, and Melody was eventually arrested in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where she had been spending time with Barton.

Prosecutors highlighted that the couple had been arguing about finances at the time of the murder, specifically Gary’s refusal to give Melody money and his decision to give it to their adult children instead. The jury has been deliberating for several days and has informed the judge that they are deadlocked, prompting the continuation of deliberations on Monday.