Calculated ex-wife Melody Farris knew she was in line for $2 million so she turned her estranged husband into ash then proceeded to commit the ultimate parental betrayal – she blamed her son
They’d been married for 38 years, but Gary Wayne and Melody Farris were not living as man and wife, and the strain was starting to show. Gary had filed for divorce after discovering his wife had been having an affair, but he changed his mind and decided to try and make their marriage work.
It was 2018, and Gary, 58, was a prominent and respected lawyer. He lived with his wife on a 10-acre working farm in Alpharetta, Georgia. They had three children – two had left home, while son Scott lived in an apartment above a barn.
In 2009, Melody had an affair. Gary found out and filed for divorce in February 2010 but by August that year, he had dismissed the petition as they’d decided to give their marriage another try.
Melody had been removed from the joint accounts after her infidelity, but she still had financial control and influenced all the family decisions.
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She lived separately from her husband on the farm and continued to be unfaithful with at least two other men – one of whom she told she wanted to marry. The relationship between Gary and Melody never truly recovered. Then tragedy struck.
On 5 July, 2018, Scott called 911 saying he suspected his dad had fallen into a burn pit at the property. First responders raced to the scene in the belief that Gary might still be alive, but when they arrived they discovered a body burned beyond recognition. It was impossible to tell if it was Gary and it took weeks to identify his remains through dental records.
At first, investigators thought Gary had suffered a medical incident and had accidentally fallen into the flames. But then medical examiners found a .38 calibre bullet lodged in one of his ribs.
Gary had been shot in the chest and possibly thrown into the flames. The bullet didn’t match any weapon found on the property – although Scott had the same ammunition in his apartment on the farm.
When investigators discovered the issues between Gary and Melody, they focused on her as a suspect. They found a message on her phone that she had sent to a male friend that spoke of Gary and said, “I hope he dies alone and a gruesome death.”
Financial motive
There was blood in the couple’s home that trailed from the kitchen and down some stairs to a lower level. But there were no drag marks outside.
If Melody had killed Gary in the house, how had she moved her 6ft 3in, 300-pound husband to the burn pile when she weighed just 130 pounds? But the $2 million life insurance policy she was in line for was a huge incentive for a woman who’d grown tired of being married to her husband.
The police believed Melody shot Gary on July 3. She’d told one of her grandchildren “not tonight” when they’d asked to come over and stay.
When questioned, she denied having affairs but later changed her statement. She said all the affairs were over, but she was found to be lying.
In June 2019, Melody was arrested and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement in the death of her husband. At the trial in October 2024, the defence team said the police had focused their attention too quickly on Melody and suggested another suspect.
They alleged that Scott had motive to kill his dad as he used to borrow money from Gary and it was an issue with the family. They argued that Scott owned .38 calibre ammunition, which was the type of bullet found in Gary. Scott took the stand and denied killing his dad.
He testified that his mum’s reaction to the death seemed insincere when he reported finding his father’s remains in a burn pile.
“I’ve seen my mother cry, hundreds of times throughout my life, and it appeared to me to be fake,” Scott said.
He was tearful as he said he loved his dad and hadn’t been involved in his death. He recalled the horrific moment he’d discovered his father. “I walk up and look, and I start seeing bones,” Scott said.
The prosecution said Melody was unfaithful and her marriage was over. She’d been fighting with Gary over money and he had cut her off from the finances, meaning she needed the $2 million more than ever.
A doctor explained that due to a lack of lungs to detect smoke inhalation, he couldn’t determine whether Gary was alive when he entered the burn pile.
Prosecutors showed jurors a photo of Gary’s burned skull that was retrieved. They said investigators failed to collect the evidence properly from the scene – but there was no doubt Melody was the killer.
There was even DNA evidence that meant there was a very high probability that Melody could be linked to the shifter on the farm’s RTV, which could explain how she moved the body.
Melody was found guilty of murder on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing a death, and making a false statement. In December, she was sentenced and shocked everyone by throwing all the blame on her son.
She accused him of killing his father, who she referred to as “Big Daddy”, and said she was innocent.
“I’ve had six-plus years of being told not to talk, don’t say that, take legal advice,” she said, before going on to say she’d seen Scott coming from the burn pile and that he reportedly told her he was checking to make sure the fire had not spread to the woods.
Family heartache
Melody accused her son of having anger issues and asked the judge to act as the “13th juror” and throw out the verdict.
A statement from her children read, “We ask this court to consider the gravity of this crime, the devastating impact it has had on our family, and to ensure justice is served. No sentence can bring our father back, but a just punishment can offer a semblance of closure and prevent another family from experiencing this unimaginable pain.”
Melody, 64, was taken into custody and was given life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. However, the judge noted it was unlikely she would live to be freed due to her age.
Gary had tried to make his marriage work, despite the actions of his wife, but his tragic fate was sealed.