Claud "Tex" McIver, the Atlanta attorney who was once serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Diane McIver, in 2016, could be a free man sooner than anticipated. McIver's conviction was recently overturned, and following the acceptance of a plea deal, he may find himself on the outside of prison bars pending a parole board decision. This development comes after Georgia's top court ruled that jurors in his 2018 trial should have had the option to consider a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.
McIver, now aged 81, admitted to the reckless handling of the gun that killed his wife but has maintained that he did not shoot her intentionally. "I want it to be very, very clear, Diane is the best friend I ever had," McIver said in the court hearing, a quote which was obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta. His attorney, Don Samuel, indicated to CNN that his client could be up for parole at any time, which, if approved, would place McIver under home probation with a curfew and ankle monitor.
The story of the tragic night has been well-documented, with the couple and close friend Dani Jo Carter in their vehicle when the shot was fired. The incident occurred following a weekend at the McIvers' horse farm. Stuck in a traffic jam, McIver asked his wife to hand him his gun because he felt uneasy about the neighborhood they had exited into. Shortly afterward, a single gunshot that went through the front seat ended Diane McIver's life.
Justice for Diane McIver has been a contentious issue, with some viewing the plea deal as a less-than-satisfactory conclusion to the high-profile case. Billy Corey, the employer of Diane McIver, expressed that her death was "no accident" and not merely the byproduct of a man's reckless handling of a weapon. "One man, one hand, and one bullet ended her life and caused a lifetime of misery and loss for so many others," Corey's statement read in court, as reported by CNN. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney shared that the resolution provided by the plea deal would allow the greatest number of people to move forward.
The McIvers were considered an Atlanta power couple, with Tex being a partner at a national labor and employment law firm, and Diane rising to the top of U.S. Enterprises Inc.
