One More Spin

Summary

Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel

Episode 6: One More Spin

CBS News (48 Hours), April 15, 2026
Host: Peter Van Sant

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Episode Overview

The concluding episode of this six-part true crime series explores the high-stakes murder trial of Melody Farris, accused of killing her husband, Gary Farris. The story delves into a web of family betrayals, secrets, shifting allegiances, and unresolved pain, culminating in a tense courtroom showdown, a fractured family's final unraveling, and Melody’s shocking post-verdict accusation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Trial of Melody Farris

• Prosecution’s Case

  • Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus described the case as exceptionally complex.
    • “This is one of the most unique cases I've ever been involved in... as an attorney, as a prosecutor, or anything that I've read or seen.” (03:03)
  • Motive: Alleged infidelity (specifically, an affair with Rusty Barton), money, and the desire for a new life.
  • The prosecution presented circumstantial evidence, including digital records, testimony from Melody’s former and current lovers (Ted Wiley, Rusty Barton), and the movement of Gary’s phone and CPAP machine.
  • Described Melody as the architect of the murder and desecration of her husband.
    • “The truth, as sad as it is, as hard as it is, is that the defendant murdered and desecrated her own husband.” (02:38)

• Family Testimonies

  • Three of the four children (Chris, Scott, Emily) testified against Melody, highlighting changes in her behavior before and after Gary’s death.
    • Scott: “I felt something was very off. There was red flags...” (03:17)
    • Melody: “The most heart wrenching, gut wrenching thing I had ever sat there in my entire life because I knew they were lying.” (03:34)
  • Amanda, the youngest, stood by her mother:
    • “She has told me that she's not guilty and all I can do is believe that until somebody can prove she is guilty.” (03:53)

• Physical Evidence & Doubt

  • The murder weapon (a .38 snub-nose revolver) was never found.
  • Defense emphasized the lack of direct evidence: no eyewitness, no confession, no damning DNA.
  • Defense challenged the plausibility that Melody, at 120 pounds, could move Gary’s 300+-pound body.

Defense Arguments

• Melody’s Physical Limitations

  • Attorney John Luke Weaver used dramatic courtroom demonstrations—dragging bags filled with rock salt equaling Gary’s weight—to illustrate the alleged impossibility.
    • “When you add this up that someone who weighs 120 pounds can move this, that is a doubt in its own right.” (21:20)

• Questioning the Investigation

  • Criticized the investigative process and suggested the detectives didn’t have a concrete plan.
    • “At the end of the day, it was kind of a failure of who was in charge of this investigation.” (12:37)

• Alternative Suspect

  • Argued that the son, Scott Farris, had both a motive (property, jealousy) and the physical capability.
    • “You understand that you are the only person on the property who could have physically pulled off what the District Attorney's office and the state has alleged that your mother did.” (19:55)
  • Questioned the missing gun story, suggesting it was invented by Scott.

• Forensic Doubts

  • Disputed prosecution’s claim that the killing occurred in the kitchen due to insufficient blood evidence.
    • “If you're to say that the shooting would happen in the kitchen area, you would expect far more blood. And there just really wasn't. They've never been able to give an explanation for the lack of blood.” (14:09)
  • Suggested blood evidence on the tractor and RTV had innocent explanations.

Dramatic Moments & Testimony

• Rusty Barton’s Testimony

  • Complicated by inconsistencies: changed his story about when Melody discussed Gary’s body in the burn pile.
  • Prosecutor played jail calls in which Melody voiced concerns about Rusty talking to law enforcement.
    • “And the words she used were single handedly hang me.” (08:01)
  • Rusty was portrayed as hostile but ultimately valuable to the prosecution’s narrative.

• Surprise Witness: Martha Jane Barton

  • Melody’s second cousin and a figure with a “mother-daughter” relationship to her.
  • Claimed a .38 Special “Saturday Night Special” was stolen years prior and that Melody knew of its location.
  • Defense poked holes (lack of police report, no documentation):
    • “I know I had a gun then and I know I don't have a gun now.” (12:21)

The Verdict – GUILTY

• Jury Deliberations

  • Three days of deliberation, including a period of deadlock before ultimately returning a guilty verdict.
  • Melody found guilty of:
    • Two counts of murder
    • Aggravated assault
    • Concealing the death of another
    • Making a false statement

• Family Emotional Fallout

  • Scott Farris described a sense of “relief” at the verdict.
    • “We got justice from my father. We fought six years to get answers and hopefully find out the truth.” (26:23)

Timestamped Key Moment

• [25:13] Rusty Barton: “We, the jury ask the count. Count five, we find the defendant guilty...”

Sentencing & Melody’s Final Accusation

• Melody’s Statement at Sentencing

  • For the first time, publicly accused her son Scott of being Gary’s killer.
    • “Not only did I not do this? No, you did. I know Scott killed his father.” (27:54)
    • The courtroom reacted with audible gasps; Scott and his brother Chris in shock.
    • “I refuse to cover for you... I want to be there to watch him chained and shackled and brought to justice.” (28:12, 28:24)

• Judge’s Response and Final Sentence

  • Melody was sentenced to life in prison (parole eligible after 30 years), with 5 additional years for evidence concealment and false statements.

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Aftermath: Melody’s Exclusive Interview

• Immediate Post-Sentencing Interview with Peter Van Sant

  • Melody, hands and feet shackled, repeated her accusation that Scott killed Gary and framed her for the murder.
    • “You kill your daddy, you set your mother up, she goes to prison, you get everything.” (30:25)
  • Admitted lying about her affair, but insisted these were not “material” lies.
    • “It's one thing to lie about an affair. It's another thing to lie about the rest of it.” (31:57)
  • Denied ever planning to marry Rusty Barton.
    • “You don't marry the person you're having an affair with.” (32:10)
  • Stressed that all of her children but Amanda knew Scott was guilty, alleging a family conspiracy for money.

• Reflections and Relationships

  • Claimed her relationship with her children was “our Ferris wheel... our life.” (33:42)
  • Expressed hope for repairing family ties:
    • “Oh, absolutely, I want to. I pray every day at will.” (34:14)
  • Maintained her innocence to the end.
    • “I did not do it.” (34:38)

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Concluding Reflections

• Appeals & Ongoing Legal Effort

  • Melody’s legal team has filed for a new trial, citing insufficient evidence and prosecutorial shortcomings. No other arrests have been made in Gary’s murder.
  • As of the episode’s release, a decision on the appeal is pending (scheduled for June 2026).

• The Ferris Family’s Aftermath

  • Scott and his siblings face years of public scrutiny and private pain.
    • “She used to be a mother to me... but after she murdered my father, no. She turned into an evil person.” (35:13)
    • “It is embarrassing to us... We don't wish this upon anybody... We're hoping we're able to put this in our past and talk about the good times, not about this.” (35:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Prosecution (Jeffrey Foggus): “The type of murder that happened in this case under the facts doesn't happen a lot. But if it were to happen, it would be in this family.” (01:30)
• Melody Ferris:
  • “The most heart wrenching... thing I had ever sat there in my entire life because I knew they were lying.” (03:34)
  • “[In court] Not only did I not do this? No, you did. I know Scott killed his father.” (27:54)
• Defense Attorney (John Luke Weaver):
  • “We felt like we had to do it through the trial ourselves, live in front of the jury. That's what we feel like we needed to do to bring justice for Melody.” (13:50)
  • [During his courtroom demonstration] “This is £320. I am £185.” (21:52)
• Scott Farris:
  • “We got justice from my father. We fought six years to get answers and hopefully find out the truth.” (26:23)
  • “She used to be a mother to me... after she murdered my father, no. She turned into an evil person.” (35:13)

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Key Timestamps

• Opening and prosecution setup: 01:03 – 02:38
• Family testifies; Melody’s response: 03:17 – 03:53
• Defense attacks possibility Melody could move Gary: 04:33 – 05:00
• Rusty Barton’s cross-examination and jail call: 05:36 – 08:32
• Martha Jane Barton’s surprise testimony: 09:24 – 12:21
• Defense’s “theory of the case” and key demonstration: 13:28 – 22:13
• Jury deliberation and verdict: 24:01 – 26:13
• Sentencing and Melody’s public accusation: 27:33 – 28:24
• Melody’s exclusive interview post-sentencing: 29:50 – 34:38
• Family aftermath/reflections: 35:13 – 36:07

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains the meticulous, measured tone characteristic of investigative true crime, alternating between methodical courtroom reporting and deep emotional moments—particularly as family members confront trauma and explosive allegations. The storytelling style is immersive and direct, highlighting the chilling implosion of the Ferris family without sensationalism.

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Final Thoughts

“One More Spin” closes the Ferris Wheel saga with no easy answers, only shattered trust, and the lingering possibility that not all secrets have been unearthed. The episode offers a sobering meditation on family, justice, and the dangers lurking beneath a seemingly idyllic life.

Transcript

[Trey Morris]

Some wrecks cause injuries that take a lifetime to heal and some never heal at all. These moments can leave families struggling with medical bills, long term care and deep uncertainty. At Morris DeWitt injury lawyers, we help real people navigate the challenges of life changing cases with resources and guidance. We stand by you every step of the way. Real cases, real injuries. Morris and DeWitt Injury Lawyers paid spokesperson Trey Morris Shreveport, LA 2519598.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

What they did to your family, you're lucky to make it out alive. Streaming on Peacock.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

These men are going to come after me.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Taking them out. It's my only chance.

[Rusty Barton]

Put a bullet in her head.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

From the co creator of Ozark.

[Melody Ferris]

Looks like a family was running drugs.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Execution style killing. It's rare for the Keys. Any leads on who they might have been running for?

[Melody Ferris]

The cartel killed my family. I'm gonna kill them. All of them.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

MIA Streaming now only on Peacock.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

This is one of the most unique cases I've ever been involved in, personally, as an attorney, as a prosecutor, or anything that I've read or seen.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Jeffrey Foggus prosecuted the case against Melody Farris when she went on trial for the murder of her husband gary. It was October 2024, six years after Gary's charred remains were found in a burn pile on the Ferris property.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

The type of murder that happened in this case under the facts doesn't happen a lot. But if it were to happen, it would be in this family.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

This family. The Ferris family. When prosecutor Foggus began his opening statement, he introduced them one by one to the jury, sharing a photograph of Gary, Melody and their four children on Emily's wedding day. They looked happy. But as we know by now, looks can be deceiving.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

You're going to hear about the Ferris wheel. Unfortunately for this family, as they have drama, they are not a perfect family.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Listening stoically, her lips pursed, at the defense table was the matriarch, Melody Ferris. Dressed in all black, with shoulder length gray hair and a strand of elegant pearls around her neck. Her eyes followed the prosecutor as he told jurors about her motives for killing her husband. Money, sex, and a new life with her traveling salesman lover.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

The truth, as sad as it is, as hard as it is, is that the defendant murdered and desecrated her own husband.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Over the course of the weeks long trial, all the Ferris family secrets, jealousies and resentments would air out in public. Melody sat and watched as each of her children took the stand. Three of them, Chris, Scott and Emily, testified against their mother.

[Scott Farris]

I felt something was very off. There was red flags she became more

[Melody Ferris]

hostile, she was more aggressive with us.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

I just had my suspicions that she

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

had something to do with this.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Can you describe what it was like to watch each of your children take the stand?

[Melody Ferris]

The most heart wrenching, gut wrenching thing I had ever sat there in my entire life because I knew they were lying.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Only youngest daughter Amanda distanced herself from her siblings, refusing to believe her mother was capable of murder.

[Melody Ferris]

She has told me that she's not guilty and all I can do is believe that until somebody can prove she is guilty. So I would like to believe that my mother had nothing to do with this.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

That burden of proof was on the prosecution. And while there was lots of circumstantial evidence, there was no eyewitness, no confession, and no damning DNA evidence. Investigators never found the suspected murder weapon, that.38 snub nose revolver Scott claimed was in the basement. Not to mention something else, something literally big that the defense argued just didn't make sense.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

The sheer weight of Gary and the fact that it's just not possible that he could have been moved by a 120 pound woman if the murder scene was in fact within the house.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

But as the defense worked to sow doubt, a surprise witness came forward.

[Martha Jane Barton]

I have worried about this for a long time.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

I'm Peter van Sant from 48 Hours. This is Blood is Thicker. The ferris wheel episode 6 one more spin. In the fall of 2024, jury members heard evidence about the crime scene, the digital data from the phone records and Gary's CPAP machine. Not to mention testimony from from one of Melody's former lovers, Ted Wiley. And of course there was Melody's most recent paramour, Rusty Barton.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Do we agree that your job is to tell us the truth, correct, the

[Rusty Barton]

whole truth and nothing but?

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus questioned Rusty on the stand and knew he had to challenge this colorful Southern personality.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

He's charming, he's charismatic, he's smart. He had the ability to talk and also push back when he wanted to. But Rusty was extremely reluctant. Hostile in the sense that he did not want to be there, and reluctant in the sense that he had already changed his story.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

If you recall, Rusty changed his story about when Melody revealed to him that Gary was in the burn pile. He first told police Melody said Gary was in the burn pile early on the 4th of July, before law enforcement was alerted that Gary was even missing. But then Rusty retracted and said Melody told him the burn pile story after the remains were discovered. But Foggus told me he had a strategy when it came to this tale of two stories,

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

you basically give the jury two options. The first statement, the second statement, and they get to believe which one they believe and use that one. So our goal with Rusty was to get him to paint the relationship he had with the defendant, talk about the affair, talk about how close they were, talk about the plans that they have for each other.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Fogus asked Rusty about his relationship with Melody.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Is it awkward being here in court

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

in front of her?

[Rusty Barton]

It's awkward being in court, period. So, yes.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

When it comes to your feelings for the defendant at this moment, how much love do you have for her?

[Rusty Barton]

Don't know that that's a measurable item.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Foggus pressed Rusty on his decision to recant his story. A year later, after Melody was in jail, there was that call we played in the last episode where Melody confronts Rusty about talking to law enforcement. The jury heard all of it.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

And you agree with me that the defendant in this jail call was very concerned with you talking, right?

[Rusty Barton]

Yes.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

And the words she used were single handedly hang me.

[Rusty Barton]

Yes.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

That's not what an innocent person says, is it?

[Rusty Barton]

That I don't know who. What she said or what I said.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

What she said.

[Rusty Barton]

Well, I guess if you were locked up and somebody had said something against you, you'd probably say that too.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Because if the jury believes what you said on July 24, that she had knowledge that he was in the burn pile, she's guilty of murder, right?

[Rusty Barton]

If it's true, don't comment on that one.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Because you don't want to comment, do you?

[Scott Farris]

No.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Rusty never went back to his original story on the Standard, but the prosecution felt he delivered.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

He was an important witness for many reasons, but Rusty was Rusty, but he was. We felt like we had a plan with him. We felt like we got that plan done. We also couldn't predict the future, that Martha Jane would come into the picture later on.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Martha Jane Barton, while she was Melody's second cousin. Melody said they had more of a mother daughter relationship. When Martha Jane fell ill in 2014, Melody helped take care of her. And that's when Melody reconnected with Rusty Barton, who she first met as a teenager. Rusty also happened to be Martha Jane's stepson. And in this country soap opera, Martha Jane didn't know her second cousin and stepson were intimate. It was only after Martha Jane saw Rusty testify that she picked up the phone and called law enforcement.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

How were you feeling when you called that number? Awful.

[Martha Jane Barton]

I had a heavy, heavy heart.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Did you sleep the night before?

[Martha Jane Barton]

I have worried about this for A long time.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

And what she had to say surprised even the prosecutors.

[Martha Jane Barton]

I had a gun that was missing.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Martha Jane told the court that years earlier, her husband Roy, Rusty's father, got her a gun as a Christmas present to use for protection.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

What kind of gun was it?

[Martha Jane Barton]

It was a.38 special, and he said it was called a Saturday Night Special.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

This was important because Scott Farris had told the sheriff's department that he had seen that type of gun in the basement weeks before Gary's murder, only for it to disappear the day Gary's remains were found. Now, Martha Jane testified that she put that.38 pistol, along with another gun, in a chest. And who else knew it was there?

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Did you have a weak moment when you told her where some things were in your house?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

I did.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

Why was it weak?

[Martha Jane Barton]

Well, looking back on it, it was weak.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Martha Jane said she told Melody all about it around the time of Emily's wedding in 2016. But defense attorney John Luke Weaver didn't buy it. Why hadn't Martha Jane brought up this missing gun earlier?

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

You never said anything about a missing gun to Melody.

[Martha Jane Barton]

Okay.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

You never called law enforcement and reported this gun stolen?

[Melody Ferris]

No.

[Martha Jane Barton]

Okay.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

You still have not reported this gun stolen?

[Martha Jane Barton]

I haven't.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

He asked if she had any proof that this gun ever even existed.

[Martha Jane Barton]

I don't have a receipt or anything like that. In fact, in 79, you didn't have. I'm sure you didn't have to register a gun.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

The defense argued there was no picture, no witness, no nothing to support Martha Jane's claim besides Martha Jane herself.

[Martha Jane Barton]

I know I had a gun then and I know I don't have a gun now.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Could they convince the jury that there was enough doubt in this case to acquit Melody? Her attorneys turned on the detectives.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

At the end of the day, it was kind of a failure of who was in charge of this investigation. So they never actually had a plan.

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[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Every case, it's our job to raise doubt. But in this case, we felt that the investigation was not conducted properly by the so we felt like we had to do it.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Defense attorney John Luke Weaver told me he not only had to be a lawyer in this case, but also a detective of sorts. We talked in 2024, and we felt

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

like we had to do it through the trial ourselves, live in front of the jury. That's what we feel like we needed to do to bring justice for Melody.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

So Weaver and his co counsel began poking holes. They started with the prosecution's assertion that Melody first shot Gary in the kitchen.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

The forensic evidence doesn't line up with that. If you're to say that the shooting would happen in the kitchen area, you would expect far more blood. And there just really wasn't. They've never been able to give an explanation for the lack of blood. It is consistent with a dog bite instead of a shooting.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Here's Amanda.

[Melody Ferris]

And my husband said, damn, Gary, like what happened to your leg? He said, that damn dog bit me. Meaning Motley, her little black. Her little terrier dog.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

So Motley was kind of an ankle biter? Essentially, yes. I don't like that dog, for lack of a better term. But you saw with your own eyes this injury to your dad's.

[Melody Ferris]

Yes, it was bad.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

And what about that bullet detectives found in the basement?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

There's not a. There's zero amount of blood around the bullet. Nothing is out of place. Nothing is broken. Every single witness testified that there was nothing out of place in those spots.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

But that bullet had Gary's DNA on it. How did it get there then? If the shooting didn't take place in the house, how did it get there? Are you suggesting someone planted it?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

I think that's possible.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

I asked about Gary's blood on the tractor. The defense said it doesn't make sense that blood came from moving Gary's body because there was none of his blood in the bucket of the tractor. And what about Melody's blood on the rtv? They claimed she had simply cut her finger minutes earlier when she broke a dinner plate during an argument.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

And how do you interpret this cell phone analysis that shows his phone moving from the house to the burn pile where authorities believe he's dead and that the person who's carrying that phone must be Melody.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

So they actually didn't give us the full scope of the information. They just gave us little brief snippets. We saw that he went to dinner the night before, but we didn't necessarily see for hours throughout the night where the phone was located. And furthermore, there was no one sent to testify who actually worked for Google. This was a Google geofence. And we had a member of essentially the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office who was tendered as an expert and she, she became the all knowledgeable person on Google geofences at that time. And so I don't, I don't know that that's necessarily reliable evidence.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

What about that motive? What do you have to say about that?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Well, I do want to note this. So Melody, of course for them that just made the most sense. That was just easy, that was the easy route to go. But what in reality was Melody didn't want for anything. When you look at the pictures, I mean, her house was immaculately decorated. She had fantastic clothes and shoes. And Gary let her have whatever she wanted because that was her money as well. Everyone, all the children would say, well, that was dad's money. But they're married and under Georgia law, what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine in marriage.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

According to investigators, she was in love with Rusty. He had looked at some wedding rings and they are claiming that these two were planning on getting married and living happily ever after with Gary's money.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

They don't know that. That was sheer speculation.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Who else had motive to kill Gary, in your opinion?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Scott Farris.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

And his motive would be financial.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

He wanted the property. He was jealous. He wanted to be his father, but he couldn't.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Scott told police about a missing gun. What do you think of the missing gun story?

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

He made it up. There was never a missing gun.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

During the defense's cross examination of Scott Ferris, John Luke Weaver pressed him about the.38 snub nose revolver Scott said he saw in the basement before Gary's death.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

And you didn't tell anybody about that gun? You didn't talk to your dad about it?

[Scott Farris]

No, because I forgot. I completely kind of forgot about it.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

You didn't talk to your mother about it?

[Scott Farris]

No, because she wasn't in town.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Well, she was obviously in town at some point.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

The defense was suggesting to jurors that Scott's behavior was fishy. He didn't tell his parents about seeing the gun or that he noticed it had disappeared. But Scott did alert detectives that it was missing as soon as they arrived at the farm, before they found the bullet in gary's rib cage.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

10 hours, 12 hours before this bullet is found. You have set them off looking for things. You have been controlling where they go and what they do. Have you not?

[Scott Farris]

No, I'm not controlling. I just asked them to search the house to see if they could find that gun because I knew something Bad had happened.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Weaver bored in turning up the pressure.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Did you shoot him at the barn, Scott?

[Scott Farris]

I never shot my father.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

Did you take that bullet and put that bullet in the floor in your mother's house?

[Scott Farris]

I never knew of that bullet.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Then Weaver cleverly used Scott's own body as potential evidence. He asked him to stand up, which revealed Scott's height of over 6ft 5 inches.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

And how much do you weigh?

[Martha Jane Barton]

Currently?

[Scott Farris]

About 280.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

You can have a seat. You understand that you are the only person on the property who could have physically pulled off what the District Attorney's office and the state has alleged that your mother did. You're aware you're the only person.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Why? Because Melody Farris stands a mere 5ft 4 inches and according to police reports, weighs just 120 pounds. Allegedly not big or strong enough to lift her giant husband. And Weaver wasn't done making his point. During his closing argument, he decided this one unresolved issue could lead to an acquittal for Melody. He turned to some props he had stacked up in the courtroom.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

These bags are £40 apiece. I've got a few more bags to go.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Weaver walked across the courtroom away from the jury to pick up a bag of rock salt. One after another, he carried the 40 pound bags of salt back and dropped them in front of the jury box. Weaver was stacking enough rock salt to equal the more than 300 pound weight of the victim, Gary Farris.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

When you add this up that someone who weighs 120 pounds can move this, That is a doubt in its own right.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Weaver placed all of the bags of salt into two larger brown construction bags. Then, with considerable strain, he tried to drag them across the floor.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

This is £320. I am £185.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Weaver gritted his teeth and pulled the salt a few feet before giving up.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

And that's all I had.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Out of breath, he put his hands on his hips and lowered his head as if he'd finished a sprint. He wanted jurors to see for themselves how nearly impossible it was for him to move that 300 pound pile.

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

The doubt I can tend to you absolutely exists. I'm sorry I had to do this demonstration. But they didn't.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Melody's fate was now in the hands of the jury. They had heard from just about everyone on the Ferris wheel except one, Melody herself. Yet it was what she later said in the courtroom after the trial and then in an exclusive interview with me that set the Ferris wheel spinning into outer space.

[Melody Ferris]

I wanted the truth out there and this is why I am making this statement.

[Lloyd Lockridge]

Hi, my name is Lloyd Lockridge and I'm the host of a new podcast from Odyssey called Family Lore. In this podcast, I'm going to have people on to tell unusual and sometimes far fetched stories about their families.

[Melody Ferris]

I've heard my whole life that she

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

invented the margarita and then we're going

[Lloyd Lockridge]

to investigate those stories and find out how much of it is true.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

He gets a patent one month before the Wright Brothers. Oh my God.

[Lloyd Lockridge]

Please follow and listen to Family Lore, an Odyssey podcast, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

The Melody Ferris trial had garnered national attention and after three days of deliberating, the jury was deadlocked.

[Scott Farris]

We got the text message that the jury gave a note to the judge that they were home.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Scott Farris remembered receiving the news immediately.

[Scott Farris]

We were all sick terse on the because we didn't know what that meant.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

When informed that there was one holdout, one juror preventing a final verdict, the judge ordered the jury to go back and try again. A day later, on November 4, 2024, the jury announced they had made a determination.

[Scott Farris]

And then it's in your head crap. We don't know if she's they found her guilty or not guilty. And it was the most nerve wracking thing you could. I don't think you ever know how that feeling is.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Full of fear and anticipation, Melody stood, her eyes welled up with tears.

[Rusty Barton]

We, the jury ask the count. Count five, we find the defendant guilty. We, the jury as to count four, find the defendant guilty.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Melody put both hands over her mouth as the verdicts for the five counts against her were read aloud.

[Rusty Barton]

And we the jury asked to count one, find the defendant guilty.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Melody was found guilty of two counts of murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another and making a false statement. Jurors told me what ultimately clinched their decision was the evidence showing Gary's phone moving back and forth from the burn pile to the house when Melody was the only other person at the farm. Was the verdict agreed to by you?

[Scott Farris]

Yes.

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

And is it still your verdict?

[Scott Farris]

It is. All right, you may be seated.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

That's all for jurors. Sitting back down, Melody buried her face in her hands. Scott told me he felt relief because

[Scott Farris]

we got justice from my father. We fought six years to get answers and hopefully find out the truth.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

But the legal process wasn't over yet. One month later, it was time for sentencing. Yes, you, Honor, we are here on

[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

the State of Georgia v. Melody Walker Farris.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

In 23Cr0 Melody returned to the courtroom, this time wearing an orange uniform. The prosecution played a video of Gary Farris with his baby granddaughter and then read a statement from Emily on behalf of the family. Scott and his brother Chris were present to listen. Emily wrote, gary was not just our beloved father, but our confidant and our rock. She added, this loss is only made worse by the betrayal of trust we feel for our mother. And then came a dramatic moment, years in the making. All right, Ms. Harris, if you have a statement.

[Melody Ferris]

I do. I've written this so that I can get the door.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

After staying silent during the trial, Melody went on the attack.

[Melody Ferris]

I want the world to know who did this.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

I was there in the courtroom and what she said was a first for me.

[Melody Ferris]

Not only did I not do this? No, you did. I know Scott killed his father.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

There were audible gasps in the courtroom as a mother proclaimed her son the murderer of his own father.

[Melody Ferris]

I refuse to cover for you.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Scott turned red, faced with anger, shaking his head no. As she continued, his brother Chris looked blindsided.

[Melody Ferris]

And I plead with you to row this verdict out. Help me get justice for the correct person. As bad as it sounds, I want to be there to watch him chained and shackled and brought to justice.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Her words didn't influence the judge. He sentenced 64 year old Melody to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. She also received an additional five years for concealing Gary's death by burning his remains and making a false statement to police. For Scott, who denied killing his father, Melody's last words were a final jab

[Scott Farris]

that shows you what she was like.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

One last turn of the knife, One last turn.

[Scott Farris]

Last. To make somebody's life a living hell because it didn't go her way. That's the woman that we had to deal with. Now my question is, did y' all interview her before her sentencing or after?

[Prosecutor Jeffrey Foggus]

After.

[Scott Farris]

Oh, so she went from the courtroom to y'?

[Melody Ferris]

All?

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Yes. Right after that breathtaking sentencing, Melody walked straight from the courtroom to our interview

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

chair, Peter Van Sant.

[Melody Ferris]

Hi.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

She sat down in front of me with both her hands and feet shackled.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

I just watched one of the most extraordinary moments inside a courtroom that I have ever seen in my career. What do you want the world? What do you want this audience to. To know?

[Melody Ferris]

I didn't do this. I don't know who did. Without a shadow of it. Help. I know my son did it.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

And why would he do that? Was that an attempt to frame you?

[Melody Ferris]

Oh, I'm sure. I'm positive. I would bank my life on was. As my now son in law said, it's the perfect murder. You kill your daddy, you set your mother up, she goes to prison, you get everything.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

And you believe that's what this was? A conspiracy to kill his own father and to frame you for it?

[Melody Ferris]

Without a shadow of a doubt.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

I asked about that phone call with Rusty at 2:30am on July 4th. Did she tell Rusty that Gary was in the burn pile?

[Melody Ferris]

I never told him that. Not then. I told him that Gary had started the burn pile and that I was concerned that he was going to catch the woods on fire.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

I pointed out that she was caught in lies with investigators from the start. Like her affair with Rusty.

[Melody Ferris]

I did lie to them about Rusty.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

And you realize when you lie, it destroys your credibility.

[Melody Ferris]

I didn't. I did not want to be have innocent people brought into something that didn't have to be. And in hindsight, I should have told him right off the bat. I told him I did not have a second phone. But yet that second phone was taken out of my purse, where it was when Detective Hayes searched it. I know he took it.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

When you were asked if you had a second cell phone and you said no, you were lying there too, right? So there's a couple of lies now you're telling. And you. Like I said, you lie to an investigator.

[Melody Ferris]

That's one thing.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Red meat.

[Melody Ferris]

It's one thing to lie about an affair. It's another thing to lie about the rest of it.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

The two of you were not talking about getting married?

[Melody Ferris]

No, absolutely not.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

You're telling me the truth, right?

[Melody Ferris]

Absolutely.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Because, you know, if you were planning on getting married, it sounds like a motive for murder.

[Melody Ferris]

You don't marry the person you're having an affair with.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

And what about what Martha Jane said on the stand about her missing gun?

[Melody Ferris]

I know Martha Jane well. I know that when she gets angry, there's pure venom that spews out of her mouth.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Did you have anything to do with her missing gun?

[Melody Ferris]

Absolutely not.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Why do you think she said this?

[Melody Ferris]

I don't know. I don't know. I have not talked to her.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

As for her accusation about Scott's role, she told me she believed her other children were aware.

[Melody Ferris]

I do.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

You do?

[Melody Ferris]

I do. I'm Emily. I'm not so sure about Emily. I mean Amanda. I'm positive she knows.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

How about Chris?

[Melody Ferris]

Chris? Oh, yeah. I think him. You know, he knew from the get go.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Why would your children, Gary's children, all agree or cover up for Scott on this?

[Melody Ferris]

Money. Money? Absolutely. Money.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Chris and Scott, you saw it, denied they had anything to do with their father's death and at times were emotional about it. What did you think as you watched?

[Melody Ferris]

That the Scott that was in that courtroom was not my son.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

You understand, though, that to people listening to this, they're thinking, here is a mother willing to sacrifice not only her son, Scott, but potentially two of her other children to save her own skin. What would you say to that?

[Melody Ferris]

This is a mother's worst nightmare. It is. It is beyond their. You know, it has been called the Ferris wheel, and it was. But it was our Ferris wheel. It was our life. I never intended for it to be put out on for the public at all. Never wanted anybody to know.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Do you think you will ever be able to repair your relationship with your children? Or will you want to?

[Melody Ferris]

Oh, absolutely, I want to. I pray every day at will.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Despite all that's happened, despite all that's happened, despite three of their beliefs that you are a killer, they're much older. And for those who believe you got exactly what you deserved, you say, I didn't do it.

[Melody Ferris]

I did not do it.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Melody has requested a new trial, arguing that the evidence does not support the verdict and that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was guilty. As of this recording, a judge is scheduled to consider melody's motion in June 2026. No one else has been charged in connection to her husband's murder. Had the Ferris wheel finally come to a stop for Scott? He may never make sense of his family's tragedy.

[Scott Farris]

She used to be a mother to

[Melody Ferris]

me,

[Scott Farris]

but after she murdered my father, no. She turned into an evil person.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

He only hopes that one day he and his family can move on and find some peace.

[Scott Farris]

It is embarrassing to us. I mean, this is. We don't wish this upon anybody,

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

so.

[Scott Farris]

But it's also been seen around the world. We're hoping we're able to put this in our past and talk about the good times, not about this.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

From 48 hours, this is blood is Thicker, the Ferris wheel produced by Sony Music Entertainment.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

I'm your host, Peter Van Sant.

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

Judy Tygard is the executive producer of 48 Hours, original reporting by 48 Hours producers Betsy Schuller, Ryan Smith and Hannah Vehr. Jamie Benson is the senior producer for CBS News podcasts, and Mara Waltz is the senior story editor. Record recording assistance from Alan Peng and Alana Myers. Special thanks to CBS News podcast vice president Megan Marcus. Blood is Thicker was written and produced by Alex Schuman. Stephanie Serrano is our editor Our executive producer is Shira Morris. Our associate producer is Zoe Kulkin. Theme and original music composed by Hans Dale Shee. Cedric Wilson is our sound designer and mix the episodes. We also use music from Epidemic Sounds. Fendel Fulton is our fact checker. Our production manager is Tamika Balance Kolasny. If you're enjoying the the show, be sure to rate and review. It helps more people find it and hear our reporting.

[Interviewer / Peter Van Sant]

Thanks for listening.

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[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

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[Melody Ferris]

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[Melody Ferris]

Fantastic.

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[Defense Attorney John Luke Weaver]

You're hired and you're hired.

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[Melody Ferris]

We are going to go where the

[Narrator / Peter Van Sant]

evidence takes us this season. Evil is contagious. Problem is once it starts, it can't be stopped. Criminal Minds Evolution new season streaming May 28th on Paramount Plus.