Where is Melody Farris now? Details explored ahead of Dateline on NBC

The upcoming episode of Dateline is set to cover the murder of Georgia-based attorney Gary Farris and the involvement of his wife, Melody Farris. The case dates back to 2018 but was only concluded months ago in November 2024. The murder remains riddled with mysteries that may never have an answer.

The latest episode from Dateline season 33, titled A Little Patch of Perfect, will cover this murder in detail when it airs on Friday, January 17, 2025, at 9:00 PM EST. The synopsis for the episode 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?"

Shortly after the murder of Gary Farris, also known as Big Daddy, the police could find financial motives for Melody Farris. This, coupled with the couple's strained marriage, made her a prime suspect. With further investigation, authorities arrested and charged Melody Farris, who was later sentenced to life in prison, where she remains now.

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Who is Melody Farris and why did she kill Gary Farris?

Melody Farris married Gary Farris when he was just 20 years old, supporting him relentlessly as he established himself as a renowned lawyer in Georgia and ran his firm smoothly. After settling in Georgia, Melody and Gary had four children, Emily, Christopher, Scott, and Amanda Farris.

By 2018, the couple was living on a 10-acre property on Purcell Lane in Alpharetta. All of their children had moved out except Scott Farris, who still lived on another floor of the house. While things seemed perfect from the outside, there were serious issues in their marriage that dramatically came to light on the morning of July 5, 2018, when Scott called the police to report human remains found on their property.

Within the next day, the police identified the victim as Gary Farris. Initially, Melody suggested to the police that Gary may have accidentally fallen into the fire pit after suffering from some medical condition. However, an autopsy soon revealed that Gary was shot to death.

The investigation quickly gained momentum as police discovered that Melody Farris had been unfaithful multiple times during their marriage. She had an affair back in 2008 with her sister’s partner, Ted Wylie. Additionally, she had an affair with Roy "Rusty" Barton, which she initially claimed ended a year before Gary's death.

Melody Farris also initially denied having any affairs, making her the prime suspect. Furthermore, she had financial motives, as Gary Farris reportedly had life insurance worth $2 million. She was the sole beneficiary of the same. Soon, the police also discovered that her affair with Rusty Barton was not over.

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Where is Melody Farris now?

By 2019, the police had intercepted communication between Melody and Rusty, in which the former told the latter that Gary "was on a burn pile." With this evidence and the clear financial motive, along with some more pieces of evidence that the prosecution presented, Melody Farris was arrested and charged.

She tried to deflect the suspicion towards her own son, Scott, but the jury remained convinced of her guilt. On November 4, 2024, the jury found Melody guilty of all counts. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Additionally, she received five years for concealing details about her husband’s death and another five years for making a false statement during the investigation.

She currently remains at Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Georgia.

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The upcoming episode of Dateline will cover this case in more detail.