Wife Accused Of Burning Body Of Husband Claims Innocence

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — A Cherokee County woman is fighting back after she was arrested in connection with the death of her husband nearly a year after human remains were found behind her home in Alpharetta.

Melody Farris, 59, of Alpharetta, was arrested in Tulahoma, Tennessee, on June 18. She is charged with murder with malice, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and concealing the death of another, records show.

Scott T. Poole and Michael A. Ray with Grisham & Poole, a criminal defense law firm with offices in Canton and Jasper, are representing Farris and issued a statement on the matter.

"While the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit us from commenting on the evidence of the case or the credibility of witnesses associated with the charges, we can say that Mrs. Farris will plead not guilty and we anticipate vigorously contesting these charges," the statement said. "While it is easy to make allegations, proving them is another thing entirely. We look forward to challenging the State's theories about what happened and will be conducting our own investigation into other parties connected to the case. Finally, we would also like to remind everyone that the charges against our client are merely accusations and that, like all persons accused of a crime, Mrs. Farris is presumed to be innocent."

The investigation began on July 5, 2018, when the Cherokee Sheriff's deputies responded to 2155 Purcell Lane, Alpharetta, in the Free Home community after human remains were located on the property by one of the couple's sons, the department said.

The remains, which were burned extensively, were identified weeks later as Melody's husband, Gary Farris, 58, a metro Atlanta area attorney with Burr and Forman who owned the 10-acre property at 2155 Purcell Lane.

An extensive investigation into the death has been ongoing, the Sheriff's Office said. Officials said at the time they were "confident that this is not a stranger-on-stranger crime and Mr. Farris knew the suspect(s)," the AJC reported, and Melody was identified early on as a prime suspect.

The GBI Crime Lab recently completed analyzing evidence collected at the scene. The autopsy report lists the cause of death as gunshot wound and the manner of death as homicide.

Detectives recovered evidence indicating Farris shot and killed her husband inside their home and then tried to dispose of his body and evidence by burning it on their Purcell Lane property, the sheriff's office said.

Farris is currently in custody at the Coffee County Adult Detention in Tennessee, where she is being held without bond.