A Little Patch Of Perfect: Everything we know about the latest episode on Dateline

NBC's Dateline, the long-running true-crime investigative show, will air a new episode on January 17, 2025, titled, 'A Little Patch of Perfect', that will premiere on NBC at 9 pm ET. It would also be available to stream on Peacock the following day.

The latest episode will be presented by Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison, who will investigate and explore the shocking murder of Gary Farris, a respected attorney from rural Georgia, in 2018.

While Gary's death was ruled out as a tragic accident, new evidence suggested that he was murdered and his body was hidden among a pile of ashes in his backyard.

Keith will piece together the harrowing details of his murder by interviewing Gary's family, friends, and the law enforcement officials that were tied to his case, which will result in a web of strained relationships and financial motives.

More on Dateline's latest episode in our story.

Was Dateline episode's latest victim murdered by his wife?

Gary Farris, who was murdered in 2018, was a respected attorney in the rural community of Georgia. His body was found burnt with a pile of ashes on his Cherokee County property. While the police thought of it as a tragic accident at first, they later found a bullet lodged in his rib, which confirmed that he was murdered and his body was burned to conceal the act.

As police dug further, they found that the victim had a strained relationship with his wife, Melody Farris, because of her affair with another man in 2009. In addition, Melody would benefit from Gary’s $2 million life insurance policy, which made her the primary suspect in her husband's murder.

The couple had three children- Emily, Chris, and Scott. After his body was discovered and the police found out about the Dateline victim's strained relationship with his wife, Melody was announced as her husband's murderer, and she was tried in court.

Dateline latest: Was Melody convicted of her husband's murder?

After she was arrested and brought to trial in 2024 for her husband's murder, Melody revealed that it was her son Scott who had murdered his father, Gary.

According to her statement, which will also be featured in Dateline's latest episode, she saw her son Scott near the pile of ashes where her husband's body was discovered, but he made up an excuse about it.

She testified that she was certain that her son had murdered her husband, and she concealed this truth to protect her son. But now, she wants her son to pay for his deeds.

However, various testimonies from Gary's friends and family confirmed that Melody had had affairs and she had a clear murder motive because of the hefty insurance policy.

Superior Court Judge David L. Cannon Jr. dismissed her claims about Scott and, after examining all the testimony and evidence available on trial, found Melody guilty of her husband's murder.

Melody was convicted on five charges- malice murder, aggravated assault, felony murder, concealing murder, and making a false statement to save herself.

After four days, she was convicted on all five charges by the jury in December 2024 and was sentenced to life in prison, with a possibility of parole after 30 years.

Catch the case in the Dateline episode A Little Patch Of Perfect on NBC on January 17, 2025.