Melody Farris (left) and Gary Farris

The wife of the former managing partner of Burr & Forman's Atlanta office has been charged with murder in the 2018 slaying of her husband, Cherokee County authorities said Wednesday.

Cherokee County investigators arrested Melody Farris, the wife of Burr & Forman partner Gary Wayne Farris, on Tuesday night at the home of an acquaintance in Tulahoma, Tennessee, said Cherokee County sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker. Melody Farris, 59, was charged with malice murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and concealing her husband's death, Baker said.

The charges came after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's crime lab recently completed analyzing evidence and released a final autopsy report.

She is currently being held without bond, and Cherokee County authorities intend to extradite her from Tennessee, Baker said.

Baker said Melody Farris was charged after sheriff's investigators “recovered evidence indicating Ms. Farris shot and killed her husband inside their home and then tried to dispose of his body and evidence by burning it on their… property.”

He said that at the time, “It appears that the Farrises had been having some marital issues. … Basically we believe it culminated in a homicide.”

Farris, whose badly burned body was discovered on the couple's property last July, died of a gunshot wound, Baker said. Farris' son discovered the body and called 911.

When he was killed, Farris was group leader of Burr & Forman's lending practice group representing financial institutions and handling commercial real estate matters, including construction, term and revolving loans, and loan syndications.

Baker said at least one .380-caliber bullet was recovered from Gary Farris' body. He would not say where or how many times Farris was shot.

Baker said that the gun that fired the shot hasn't been found, although the investigation is ongoing.

Farris' body was so badly burned that it was several weeks before GBI crime lab technicians could positively identify him.

“Any time a body is this badly burned, it creates a challenge for investigators attempting to collect evidence and for medical examiners trying to analyze it,” Baker said.