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The latest episode of Dateline is all set to cover the murder of Gary Farris, a renowned attorney from Georgia, who was murdered by his own wife, Melody Farris. The case dates back to 2018 but was ultimately resolved months back in November 2024. The manner of death and circumstances surrounding it are all shrouded in mystery.
The upcoming episode of Dateline season 33, titled A Little Patch of Perfect, will cover this case in detail when it airs on Friday, January 17, 2025, at 9 pm EST on NBC. The synopsis for the case reads:
"After Gary "Big Daddy" Farris mysteriously disappears, his family discovers his remains on their sprawling 10-acre estate; an investigation reveals a family deeply divided by jealousy and greed, but did one of them kill Big Daddy?"
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As this case is filled with mysteries, there are multiple small but consequential details that are worth noting. Ahead of the episode, let us go over five such details.
5 key details about the murder of Gary Farris
1) Gary Farris' remains were discovered on his own property
At the time of his murder, Gary, his wife, Melody, and his son Scott, were all living in a 10-acre Purcell Lane property in Alpharetta. On the morning of July 5, 2018, Scott called the police and reported that human remains were found on the property.
By the next day, the police had discovered that the remains belonged to Gary Farris.
2) The police initially assumed that Gary Farris' death was an accident
Nudged in the direction by Melody Farris, who claimed her husband had a medical condition, the police initially assumed that Gary may have accidentally fallen into the fire pit and died. But this was cleared up once the autopsy report revealed that there was a bullet lodged in the victim's ribcage.
3) Melody Farris had more than one affair and her marriage with Gary was hanging by a thread
In contrast to what Melody had initially told the investigators, interviews with the children and acquaintances of the couple revealed that Melody had at least two extramarital affairs. Her affair with Rusty Barton was also relatively recent. She told the investigators that she had ended the affair a year before Gary's death but investigators found out that this was a lie as she was still in active communication with Rusty.
In fact, authorities reportedly intercepted a communication where Melody told Rusty that Gary "was on a burn pile."
4) Melody Farris also had financial motives for the murder
With the marriage strained beyond repair, Gary Farris was allegedly planning to write Melody out of his will. However, he had a life insurance policy worth $2 million and Melody was the sole beneficiary of this policy. This gave her clear financial motives.
Authorities also alleged that she and Gary had a fight over finances the night before he was murdered.
5) Melody Farris tried to blame her own son before she was sentenced
In another shocking development, Melody Farris tried to blame her son Scott Farris for murdering Gary, claiming that he had often borrowed money from him.
However, the jury remained unconvinced in her trial and she was eventually sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
The upcoming episode of Dateline will cover this case in more detail.
