CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The wife of a prominent Atlanta attorney who was found guilty of killing her husband and burning his body will spend at least 30 years behind bars.
Last month, a jury convicted Melody Farris for the murder of her husband, Gary Farris, at their Cherokee County home in 2018. The jury deliberated for four days.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
On Thursday, a judge sentenced Farris to life in prison with the possibility of parole for her murder conviction.
She won’t be eligible until a minimum of 30 years in her sentence. The judge also sentenced her to five years for concealing the death of another and five years for false statements. The sentences for those counts will run concurrently.
RELATED STORIES:
- ‘He’s on the burn pile.’ Grisly new details revealed in Atlanta attorney’s death
- Wife charged with killing attorney husband maintains she is innocent
- Jury finds Cherokee County woman guilty of killing her husband, setting his body on fire
In 2018, Gary Farris’ body was found in the woods behind a house on Purcell Lane. After months of testing, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation determined Farris was killed by a gunshot.
Deputies later arrested his wife, Melody Farris, in Tennessee. Detectives testified that she shot and killed her husband and then tried to dispose of his body and evidence by burning it on their property.
“In July 2018, a horrific murder occurred in Cherokee County. A man was shot, then left on a burn pile, where his remains were later discovered. The victim, Gary Farris, was killed by his wife on his own property. The shocking facts of this crime will forever remain with all who were involved in this case, including first responders, prosecutors, jurors, and witnesses,” said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway after the verdict.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
