Private Affairs

Summary

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Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel

Episode 3: Private Affairs
Host: Peter Van Sant, CBS News
Release Date: March 25, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Peter Van Sant delves into the tangled private life of the Farris family, laying bare infidelities, financial tension, and decades of marital dysfunction that culminated in the murder investigation of attorney Gary Farris. Through candid interviews, court testimony, and detective insights, listeners learn how secrets, suspicion, and resentment steadily eroded the family—and how those closest to Gary became prime suspects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Wedding Day Revelations and Family Tensions

[01:04–03:40]

• The episode opens with Emily Farris’ 2016 wedding, highlighting a public display between her mother, Melody, and another man, Rusty Barton, which shocked the family.
  • Emily recalls: "From what I understand, they were like dancing together, like canoodling, if you will. During the reception." [02:12, Emily]
  • Emily admits she was worried her mother would cancel the wedding if questioned about Rusty: "If I press her on this… she will cancel my wedding. She will." [03:51, Emily]
• Melody’s relationship with Rusty was revealed to be an affair that started two years prior, compounding already existing arguments with Gary over money and infidelity.

2. The Farris Family Dynamic & Marital Deterioration

[05:08–06:47]

• Melody and Gary were together for nearly four decades. Melody supported the family early on, but strict parenting and ‘counterparenting’—in which each would undermine the other's authority—strained their relationship.
  • Melody: “We didn't co-parent. We counterparented. If I said no, he said yes. I was the one who held my children accountable…” [05:27]
• By 2013, they were living separate lives inside the same house, even sleeping in different rooms due to Gary’s health issues.

3. The Mysterious "Farris Spells"

[06:23–08:09]

• In the years before his death, Gary suffered mysterious bouts of illness known as “the Farris spells," characterized by lethargy and confusion, usually following weekends or holidays at home.
  • “Gary believed Melody was poisoning him.” [07:44, Det. Daniel Hayes]
• Detective Hayes outlines how Gary’s spells coincided with time spent at home, raising suspicions about Melody’s involvement, as Gary himself joked about being poisoned after eating Melody’s food.

4. Money, Control, and Conflict

[09:08–11:02]

• Detectives found evidence that Gary began restricting Melody’s access to money, giving her a debit card linked to a separate account and monitoring all of her spending above $25. Melody claims Gary’s financial control wasn't motivated by anger, but Scott and Chris Farris, their sons, directly contradict her assertions.
  • Scott: “It seemed like she thought she had an endless bank account. She would just, you know, spend money, whatever.” [10:52]
• Melody once withdrew a $50,000 line of credit without Gary’s knowledge.

5. Affairs and Deceptions

[11:13–15:18]

• Melody admits (later) to having two affairs, but initially downplayed or denied relationships to investigators.
  • Melody: “I won’t call him a boyfriend, but it was my sister-in-law’s boyfriend at the time.” [13:13]
• Melody’s affair with Ted Wiley, Gary’s sister’s boyfriend, lasted for years. Son Scott recalled confronting his mother after witnessing inappropriate behavior.
  • Scott: “I saw Ted grabbing my mom's rear end.” [14:27]
• Investigators also uncovered a debit card in Melody’s possession tied to “Roy Barton”—who is Rusty Barton, confirming the Rusty affair.

6. Melody and Rusty Barton

[15:40–18:58]

• Melody’s relationship with Rusty began in 2014 under the guise of family caregiving. Their affair soon became serious, with secret rendezvous and Rusty’s overt presence at family events, deepening rifts.
  • Peter: “Isn’t that kind of an in your face move to everyone? … touching each other during the course of the reception.” [18:32]
  • Melody: “Yeah, in hindsight, no.” [18:58]
• Gary was made aware of the affair in 2017 via a revelatory email from Rusty’s girlfriend.

7. Mutual Infidelity and Marital Dysfunction

[19:31–24:39]

• Melody claims Gary was unfaithful first, fathering a child with another woman and joining dating sites.
  • Melody: “[Gary] confessed that he had fathered a child to somebody.” [22:57]
• Gary filed for divorce in 2010 but ultimately called it off; the family bought a farm for a fresh start, which only briefly concealed the cracks in their relationship.
• Scott and Chris reject Melody’s claims of an "open marriage," instead describing a household mired in secrecy, anger, and denial.

8. The Last Days and Key Argument

[25:44–27:44]

• In the days leading up to Gary’s murder, Melody and Gary’s disputes intensified:
  • Scott describes an incident (July 2, 2018): “She comes out… throws the plate up against the wall… and says, 'I can’t wait till that man's dead. I can't wait so I don’t have to live with him anymore.'" [26:09]
• Melody disputes this, saying the outburst was due to Scott yelling at her—not related to Gary. Gary secretly recorded the aftermath of this event, referencing suspicions that Melody had poisoned his meal: "I'm sure I'll be feeling poorly here within minutes." [27:39, Gary’s recording]

9. Motives, Divorce Plans, and the Investigation Focus

[28:08–29:02]

• Scott says his father was finally ready to divorce Melody, who was “going to continue on having affairs.”
• Detective Hayes notes that Melody and Rusty were planning for a future together, including research into wedding bands—pointing to motive and premeditation.

10. The Blame Game and Upcoming Turn in the Investigation

[29:02–End]

• Despite mounting evidence, detectives initially delay Melody’s arrest and instead attempt to use her lover, Rusty, as a confidential source to gather further evidence.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Emily Farris:
  “If I press her on this, she will cancel my wedding. Like she will cancel my wedding. She will.” [03:51]
• Detective Daniel Hayes:
  “Gary believed Melody was poisoning him.” [07:44]
• Scott Farris:
  “That's what irritated my dad...spending money, stuff on that we did not need to spend money on.” [10:35]
• Melody Farris (about Rusty at the wedding):
  “He was there.” [18:30]
  “Yeah, in hindsight, no.” [18:58]
• Scott Farris (on Melody’s final argument):
  "I can't wait till that man's dead." [26:09]
• Peter Van Sant (about Melody and Gary’s arrangement):
  “Both are living on different floors of a house under the same roof. But not really living as a married couple.” [21:58]
• Scott Farris:
  “My father didn't have a relationship with anybody. They didn't have an open marriage.” [23:58]
• Detective Daniel Hayes (about Melody and Rusty's seriousness):
  “They were researching wedding bands. You know, they were discussing what life looked like without Gary in it.” [28:49]

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Segment Timestamps

• Wedding and public affair revelation: [01:04–03:51]
• Farris family dynamic and living situation: [05:08–06:23]
• "Farris spells" and poisoning suspicions: [06:23–08:40]
• Monetary control and arguments: [09:08–11:13]
• Melody’s affairs, initial denials, and Ted Wiley relationship: [11:13–15:18]
• Rusty Barton affair, Melody’s justifications: [15:40–19:02]
• Marital dysfunction, divorce filings, and open marriage denials: [19:31–24:39]
• The explosive July 2nd fight and Gary’s ominous recording: [25:44–27:44]
• Divorce plans, motive, and evidence gathering: [28:08–29:02]
• Rusty recruited to help the investigation: [29:02–End]

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Tone & Narrative Style

The episode maintains a suspenseful and investigative tone, blending dramatic family recollections, frank interrogations, and the analytic calm of Peter Van Sant as host. Testimonies are emotionally charged, with bitterness, regret, and raw candor from all sides—underscoring the gravity and sadness of the crumbling Farris family legacy.

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This episode reveals a family spinning out of control, caught in a cycle of betrayals and secrets—setting the stage for investigators as the "Ferris wheel" blame game goes around once more.

Transcript

[Melody Farris]

Parle tu francais habla sepanol parle italiano.

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[Melody Farris]

Par les tu francais habla sepanol parle italiano.

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[Peter Van Sant]

It was the father Daughter dance at Emily ferris wedding in July 2016. Emily wore a white satin dress. Her proud father towered over her in a black suit as they swayed back and forth to the music. All right, let's give it up for Gary and Emily. They took a sweet bow toward each other and ended the magical moment. Here's Emily.

[Emily Farris]

It was a good wedding. I was the bride, so I was a little. I was like probably in another world compared to everyone else.

[Peter Van Sant]

You're hearing Emily answering questions from prosecutors in 2024. By then, the investigation of Gary Farris murder had gone to trial. A wedding is a milestone event, a memorable day where everyone's eyes are on the bride and groom. But some eyes at the reception turn from Emily to her mother, Melody, as she spent the night on the arm of a man who wasn't her husband, Gary.

[Emily Farris]

From what I understand, they were like dancing together, like canoodling, if you will. During the reception,

[Peter Van Sant]

Emily was on the stand recounting the shock of her wedding day when her mother openly flirted with a man named Rusty Barton.

[Emily Farris]

The interactions between the two were of a couple. Like, there was like, I felt like under the table leg touching, like getting really close together to talk, just like whispering to each other, like into each other's.

[Melody Farris]

Ears.

[Peter Van Sant]

She said the scene left the whole family shaken and ashamed.

[Emily Farris]

And Daddy said that's the last time. That's the last time she's ever going to embarrass me like that again. I mean, I can only imagine how

[Melody Farris]

devastated he was by that.

[Peter Van Sant]

Prior to her wedding day, Emily said she had suspected Rusty could be more than just a friend to her mother.

[Emily Farris]

If we were, like, running errands or going shopping or something like that, like she would talk about Rusty. She would just, like, bring him up.

[Peter Van Sant]

When she got her mother's guest list, Emily emailed the names to her father.

[Emily Farris]

I just wanted you to see who all she's inviting.

[Peter Van Sant]

Her mom's friend Rusty was coming. Emily felt like her hands were tied. That's because her parents were paying for the wedding. And Melody had already complained about its nearly $30,000 cost. So Emily decided to keep her feelings about Rusty to herself.

[Emily Farris]

If I press her on this, she will cancel my wedding. Like she will cancel my wedding. She will.

[Melody Farris]

It'll be over.

[Peter Van Sant]

Emily said she considered Melody's list an ultimatum. Invite this man or else. Turns out all the rumors and suspicions within the family were true. Melody had started cheating on Gary with Rusty two years before Emily's wedding. On top of that, her children claimed she'd been having nasty arguments with Gary over money.

[Scott Farris]

We knew Melody was having affairs. We knew that she was constantly lying to people, spending all my dad's money. And even before this, she would make up laws about us just to make her life a soap opera.

[Peter Van Sant]

I'm Peter van Sant from 48 Hours. This is Blood is Thicker. The ferris wheel Episode 3 Private Affairs.

[Melody Farris]

We just got to where we just didn't talk.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody and Gary Farris had been together for 38 years before his murder in 2018. In their early years, Melody worked hard, helping support the family and pay Gary's way through university, all while raising the kids.

[Melody Farris]

I was the strict one. We didn't co parent. We counterparented.

[Peter Van Sant]

Counterparented? What does that mean?

[Melody Farris]

If I said no, he said yes. I was the one who held my children accountable for what they do.

[Peter Van Sant]

Was Gary a good father?

[Melody Farris]

He was.

[Peter Van Sant]

And how about husband?

[Melody Farris]

Not so much.

[Peter Van Sant]

As you can tell, there were deeper problems in their marriage. By the time they moved to the farm in 2013, they had been sleeping apart for years.

[Scott Farris]

He slept down in the basement in a bedroom, and she slept in the master bed.

[Peter Van Sant]

According to Scott, Gary would use the master bedroom to shower and store his clothes. But he always slept downstairs because my

[Scott Farris]

dad slept with a CPAP machine.

[Peter Van Sant]

It's loud.

[Scott Farris]

It's loud. He, you know, prior to that, he was a very loud snorer.

[Peter Van Sant]

Leading up to his death, Gary had been experiencing a mysterious illness we just

[Melody Farris]

referred to as the Ferris spells.

[Peter Van Sant]

The Ferris spells, he would get very

[Melody Farris]

lethargic, would sleep a lot. They. There was no rhyme or reason to how often they happen.

[Peter Van Sant]

In April of 2018, one of the spells had been bad enough to send Gary to the er. Here's how Melody described it to me.

[Melody Farris]

The night that we carried him to the hospital, he was hallucinating, and several weeks beforehand, he believed that there was a party being held out in the hot tub outside of his bedroom.

[Peter Van Sant]

According to Melody, the cause was uncertain.

[Melody Farris]

He had severe vitamin deficiencies, B12 being one of them. We knew that.

[Peter Van Sant]

Here's Detective Daniel Hayes.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

Gary allegedly didn't like going to the doctor. The few times he had gone, they hadn't really found anything.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody suggested it could be Gary's unhealthy lifestyle.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

She didn't know if he was diabetic. She pointed out he drank Mountain Dews and smoked cigarettes all day.

[Peter Van Sant]

Perhaps he was just unhealthy. But Hays said Gary grew suspicious about the timing of these spells.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

Others that we spoke with about these spells, whether it be his secretary, other co workers, people that liked him, pointed out he only seemed to have these spells after he had been home for like a weekend or a holiday or something like that with Melody, they seemed to occur around right after he spent some time with her and she prepared his meals. Gary believed Melody was poisoning him.

[Peter Van Sant]

Their eldest son, Chris, questioned if his father had taken the threat seriously enough. He's like, oh, I'm okay. I'm okay.

[Scott Farris]

Like, no, you're not okay.

[Peter Van Sant]

What's the deal?

[Scott Farris]

I was like, what's the deal for my dad?

[Peter Van Sant]

This is Chris at the sheriff's office a few weeks after the murder. Chris recalled his father telling him about feeling unwell after eating Melody's freshly baked cookies.

[Scott Farris]

He was just like, oh, I think she's trying to poison me or something and just laughing it off.

[Peter Van Sant]

And I thought, oh, my God, you

[Scott Farris]

know, like, nah, I mean, come on, you know, maybe. But he said, well, then a few

[Peter Van Sant]

weeks before that,

[Scott Farris]

she brought home a pasta dish and the same thing happened.

[Peter Van Sant]

I brought this up with Melody. Did you know at the time that Gary had speculated with at least two different people that he thought you were poisoning him? Were you?

[Melody Farris]

No, absolutely not.

[Peter Van Sant]

But while Melody denied poisoning Gary, detectives learned that Gary and Melody's relationship had been strained to the breaking Point in the months before his death, we found

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

evidence through, you know, the cell phone data, text messages and things that he was taking action, taking steps to cut her off and control her spending.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Hayes said that Gary controlled their finances and created a separate account for her to access money.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

It wasn't attached to the main account with all the big money, you know, it would be smaller amounts of money, a few thousand dollars instead of multi thousand dollars.

[Peter Van Sant]

Here's Melody.

[Melody Farris]

I had a debit card. It had his name on it. I was free to use it however I wanted to.

[Peter Van Sant]

His name on it. You didn't have a debit card with your name on it?

[Melody Farris]

I did not.

[Peter Van Sant]

But just like Gary did with their son Scott, he monitored her spending.

[Melody Farris]

Anything over, I believe $25 went immediately to his email.

[Peter Van Sant]

And while she admits Gary was controlling, Melody claimed he was not angry with her. But was there financial arguing going on? Was there financial disputes going on between the two of you during the course of your marriage? Was he angry at your spending? No, son. Scott and Chris Farris said that's simply not true. They told detectives in 2018 their father was upset. Here's Scott.

[Scott Farris]

That's what irritated my dad on, you know, spending money, stuff on that we did not need to spend money on.

[Peter Van Sant]

They said their mom loved to shop, spending lavishly on stuff they considered useless like fur coats, jewelry and art.

[Scott Farris]

It seemed like she thought she had an endless bank account. She would just, you know, spend money, whatever.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody once even withdrew a $50,000 line of credit without telling Gary. But money wasn't the only thing dividing the Pharisees. Gary believed his wife was having affairs.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

You said he's caught her?

[Scott Farris]

Oh, yeah. He mean he caught her What?

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

Caught her cheating?

[Scott Farris]

Yeah, he's gotten, he's gotten emails from, you know, people saying, oh, she's doing this with this person.

[Peter Van Sant]

And he was right. And how many affairs did you have?

[Melody Farris]

2.

[Peter Van Sant]

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[Peter Van Sant]

Melody Farris admitted to me that she had two affairs during her marriage with Gary. But our conversation was years after the investigation started back in 2018. She was, shall we say, deceptive. Here's Melody talking to Detective Trent Kuykendall back then.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

Any boyfriend at all?

[Peter Van Sant]

Even though she said no, Detective Kuykendall rephrased his question.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

When was the last time you had one?

[Melody Farris]

I won't call him a boyfriend, but it was my sister in law's boyfriend at the time. But we were all.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

How long ago? Ted?

[Melody Farris]

That's been 10 years.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

Ted?

[Melody Farris]

Yeah.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ted was Ted Wiley. And you heard that, right? Melody said she was seeing her husband's sister's boyfriend. Ted dated Gary's sister for about 20 years. The two never married, but the Ferris treated him like family. He lived in Alabama. Melody said he helped her back in 2007 as she cared for her mother who had cardiac problems.

[Melody Farris]

She had an open heart surgery that did not go well. I was pretty much gone for a year taking care of her.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody basically moved to Alabama.

[Melody Farris]

He was there to help with things. We would go horseback riding together, but my sister in law was right there.

[Peter Van Sant]

Detective Kuykendall asked Melody more about Ted.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

You had a relationship with Ted many, many, many years ago. Was that physical as well? No, that was never physical.

[Peter Van Sant]

Her son Scott told detectives otherwise.

[Scott Farris]

I was the one who discovered my mom was running around with Ted because I was helping her take care of my grandmother in the hospital, in the house and everything. One night at the bar, we went to Logan's, Logan's Roadhouse or whatever. I saw Ted grabbing my mom's rear end.

[Peter Van Sant]

He confronted his mother?

[Scott Farris]

She did so you. You don't know what you're talking about. I try to tell everybody else. Nobody else will listen to me.

[Peter Van Sant]

Ted later admitted the affair went on for several years. But in 2018, Melody wasn't easily sharing those details. She denied that there had been another man in her life in the years leading up to Gary's murder.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

So when was the last time you had a physical relationship with somebody? Your husband or anyone?

[Melody Farris]

Oh, Gary. Mm. It's probably been Four years ago.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

Okay, so when was the last time you had an. A sexual interaction with anyone else?

[Peter Van Sant]

Four years ago. The detectives wanted to ask her about something they found in her purse. She had told them she had a debit card with Gary's name. And she did. But they also found a second card with a different name on it.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

What about Roy?

[Melody Farris]

Roy.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

Last name against Bart Barton.

[Melody Farris]

Barton.

[Peter Van Sant]

Here is where the Ferris wheel really gets us spinning. Roy Barton was Rusty Barton. Remember Rusty? He's the man Melody invited to Emily's wedding.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

When was the last time you interacted with Rusty?

[Melody Farris]

Oh, it's been months and months and months ago.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody tried to downplay her relationship with Rusty, but the detective pushed like, years, like months.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

It seems like it's been within the last year. Yeah, it seems like you've had a. You have a boyfriend?

[Melody Farris]

Well, I mean, yeah. I mean, I would still talk to him on occasion, but I mean, when

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

was it physical with y'?

[Peter Van Sant]

All?

[Melody Farris]

Oh, it's been at least a year ago.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody told me that she and Rusty went way back.

[Melody Farris]

Well, Rusty Barton and I first met at when his dad and my cousin got married. I was 15. We would see each other occasionally through the years, not very often.

[Peter Van Sant]

They met in 1975. Rusty was 22. The two of them didn't start a romantic relationship until almost four decades later, when in 2014, Melody's mother called. She asked Melody to take her cousin Martha Jane to the doctor. Martha Jane was married to Rusty's father, so Ted Wiley was her sister in law's boyfriend and Rusty was her cousin's stepson. Follow.

[Melody Farris]

And I said, sure, I'll do it. And I did. I went up there. His dad had a stroke on the day that I had taken Martha Jane to Nashville to a cardiologist. And he and I, you know, started out as, you know, basically working together to take care of his dad and his stepmother, which was my cousin.

[Peter Van Sant]

So in 2014, as they cared for their loved ones, Rusty and Melody also started caring for each other. And one thing led to another, one

[Melody Farris]

thing led to another.

[Peter Van Sant]

And you started an affair. Rusty lived in Tennessee, about a three hour drive from the Ferris farm in Georgia. Handsome and filled with Southern charm and humor. Rusty's white hair and goatee gave him a charismatic look. And you guys would meet in Dalton, Georgia. How often would you do that?

[Melody Farris]

It would depend on what he had going. What I had going.

[Peter Van Sant]

It was two years into their affair when Melody put Rusty on Emily's guest list. At your daughter's wedding, you brought Rusty Barton.

[Melody Farris]

He was there.

[Peter Van Sant]

And isn't that kind of an in your face move to everyone? Wasn't that a Gary knew I was a cold, terrible thing.

[Melody Farris]

Gary knew I had invited him.

[Peter Van Sant]

Why would you even have done that? Because you know your daughter was very upset that here you are touching each other during the course of the reception.

[Melody Farris]

It wasn't then. It was after all this happened that she said she was upset about it. She never said a thing about it.

[Peter Van Sant]

Then that wasn't a nice move on your part, was it?

[Melody Farris]

Yeah, in hindsight, no.

[Peter Van Sant]

But Gary didn't file for divorce or separate from melody. Then in October 2017, a woman named Christina Grant emailed Gary. She claimed to be, if you're ready for this, Rusty's girlfriend. In Christina's first email to Gary, she wrote, just FYI, your wife and Rusty Barton have been lovers for three years. Gary responded, do I know you? Christina then said, you want to talk? He replied, not right now. But according to Melody, Gary wouldn't have minded it because Melody told me that Gary was the first to cheat.

[Melody Farris]

Gary had an affair when I was pregnant with Amanda.

[Peter Van Sant]

He was the first to cheat?

[Melody Farris]

Absolutely.

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[Peter Van Sant]

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[Detective Daniel Hayes]

The dynamic of Melody and Gary Farris were they lived separate lives.

[Peter Van Sant]

In 2018, Detective Daniel Hayes with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office heard that Melody and Gary had an unusual marital arrangement. One where they each slept in separate beds and at times, with separate lovers.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

We did find evidence of both.

[Peter Van Sant]

Both had affairs.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

Yes.

[Peter Van Sant]

Both are living on different floors of a house under the same roof. But not really living as a married couple. Correct.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

They're roommates.

[Peter Van Sant]

Melody told me that it wasn't always this way. Things changed in the late 80s. That's when Melody was pregnant with their fourth child.

[Melody Farris]

I found out that he was having his first affair when I was pregnant with Amanda.

[Peter Van Sant]

Amanda was born in 1989.

[Melody Farris]

Then we moved to Atlanta in 1995, and. And he brought his secretary, who he had been having an affair with, with him.

[Peter Van Sant]

And you knew he was having this affair?

[Melody Farris]

Oh, absolutely.

[Peter Van Sant]

As Melody tells it, Gary's infidelity was the real reason they started sleeping in separate rooms. And if this Southern soap opera couldn't get more tawdry, Melody claimed that Gary confessed to something big, really big.

[Melody Farris]

He confessed that he had fathered a child to somebody. Very shortly after that, I packed my clothes and I left. He came, talked to me, begged me to come back, and I did. I came back until on. I believe it was in January of 09, I believe. Don't hold me to that. That I got a credit card statement. And he had joined Match.com and several other dating websites. I went down, handed it to him, already had my stuff packed, and I said, I'm gonna go stay at my mom's for a while.

[Peter Van Sant]

But eventually, Melody came back. She didn't tell me the identity of this mystery mother. I'm still not getting why the two of you just didn't split up and go your separate ways. I don't get it.

[Melody Farris]

I still wanted a home that my children could come to. I didn't want them to have to go to two separate places.

[Peter Van Sant]

Her son Scott told me in 2024 that he believes his mother is lying.

[Scott Farris]

My father didn't have a relationship with anybody. They didn't have an open marriage.

[Peter Van Sant]

But Gary Farris, former assistant Angela Phillips admitted she did have a relationship, an affair with her boss in the mid-1990s. Angela wouldn't call the relationship romantic in her words. She said they were physical for about a year. The sex stopped, Angela said, after she met Melody and the two, in her words, became friends. After years of allegedly playing musical beds, Gary did file for divorce in 2010. That was about the time Melody said she ended her relationship with Ted Wiley and long before she started seeing Rusty Barton. Scott remembered that when he was serving in Iraq, his dad emailed about the troubles back home.

[Scott Farris]

He goes, hey, I just want to let you know that I filed for, you know, I got paperwork for a divorce. And I responded back with I'm glad you're able to see, you know, what, you know, what's going on and all that. I can't deal. I can't hear this stuff while I'm over here.

[Peter Van Sant]

Scott's brother Chris claimed Melody hid in the bedroom when his father tried to serve his mom with those divorce papers in 2010. But Gary eventually called off the divorce and the Ferrises didn't separate. Instead, they bought the farm for a fresh start. But in the months leading up to Gary Farris murder, Melody admitted things were getting vicious.

[Melody Farris]

Gary and I said some horrible things to each other. We did. Gary was very much one who cut to the bone. And I got to where that I would throw it right back at him.

[Peter Van Sant]

But there was one argument on July 2, 2018 that caught detectives attention. It occurred the day before investigators think Gary was shot. Here's Scott.

[Scott Farris]

One day I was planting some plants or something and she comes out of the house with a plate in her hand and she's screaming and cussing and she throws the plate up against the wall of the house and breaks it, shatters it all into pieces. And she says, I can't wait till that man's dead. I can't wait so I don't have to live with him anymore.

[Peter Van Sant]

But Melody told me she didn't throw the plate because of Gary. She threw it because Scott had yelled at her for not having dinner prepared for him.

[Melody Farris]

He stand there screaming his lungs out at me. And I told him, I said, I hope that there is a day that I do not have to live with you screaming at me. My 35 year old man child screaming at his mother for not cooking him dinner. You live free on this property.

[Peter Van Sant]

And that's when according to Melody, the plate took flight. Melody and Scott have different versions of that incident. But Gary's recovered cell phone record showed that he pulled out his phone and hit record. This is what happens when you leave

[Scott Farris]

a plate, forget to take it upstairs.

[Peter Van Sant]

A minor temper tantrum Gary is saying, this is what happens when you leave a plate and forget to take it upstairs. As he shows the shattered pieces scattered on the ground, he adds, minor temper tantrum. Of course I had supper tonight and

[Scott Farris]

it was fixed for me. So I'm sure I'll be feeling poorly here within minutes.

[Peter Van Sant]

But we'll see. In that last part, he's saying that he had supper and that it was fixed for him. So, quote, I'm sure I'll be feeling poorly here within minutes. Directly referencing the idea Melody might be poisoning him, the next day would be his last.

[Scott Farris]

I could see he finally reached a point that he was tired. He finally got so tired of fighting for the marriage that he was just like, it's time to end this.

[Peter Van Sant]

Tired of the fighting, the lies, the humiliation, the secrets. Scott said his father was ready to finally divorce Melody.

[Scott Farris]

She's going to continue on having affairs, and he was ready to move on.

[Peter Van Sant]

And detectives believe that Melody may have also wanted out. And how serious is this relationship between Melody and Rusty?

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

Depends on who you asked. The evidence showed it appeared to be pretty serious. They were researching wedding bands. You know, they were discussing what life looked like without Gary in it.

[Peter Van Sant]

The clues from the case were pointing to Melody as the likely murderer. But detectives didn't make an arrest that summer. Instead, they turned to Melody's lover, Rusty Barton, to see if he would secretly record their main suspect. From 48 hours. This is Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel, produced by Sony Music Entertainment. I'm your host, 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. 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 is Shira Morris. Our associate producer is Zoe Culkin. Theme and original music composed by Hansdale 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 show, be sure to rate and review. It helps more people find it and hear our reporting. Thanks for listening.

[Melody Farris]

Stitch fix.

[Peter Van Sant]

Shopping is hard.

[Melody Farris]

Let's talk about it.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

I don't have time to shop, so

[Peter Van Sant]

I buy all my clothes where I buy my seafood. I just want someone to tell me

[Scott Farris]

what shirt goes with what pants.

[Detective Trent Kuykendall]

I just want jeans that fit.

[Melody Farris]

Stitch Fix makes shopping easy. Just show your size, style and budget,

[Emily Farris]

and your stylist sends personalized looks right to your door.

[Peter Van Sant]

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[Scott Farris]

Man, that was easy.

[Melody Farris]

I look good.

[Peter Van Sant]

Stitch Fix online personal styling for everyone. Take your style quiz today@stitch fix.com.

[Melody Farris]

it is my great honor to welcome you all to Starfleet Academy.

[Star Trek Advertiser]

There's never been a better time to enroll in Star Trek.

[Emily Farris]

It's our job to prepare you for the unimaginable.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

To the Night Cadet.

[Melody Farris]

In high pressure situations, positive reinforcement is

[Peter Van Sant]

crucial to one's success.

[Melody Farris]

You're doing a great job.

[Peter Van Sant]

This is what we train for.

[Detective Daniel Hayes]

These friends of mine, they all live

[Peter Van Sant]

for something bigger than themselves. Starfleet.

[Star Trek Advertiser]

Starfleet Academy.

[Peter Van Sant]

New series now streaming on Paramount.

[Star Trek Advertiser]

Plus.