Ex-Fisher & Phillips partner gets life sentence, says he spoke 'telepathically' with slain wife
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Former Fisher & Phillips partner Claud “Tex” McIver was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for the fatal shooting of his wife from the back seat of the SUV in which they were riding.
McIver, 75, won’t be eligible for parole until he is 105, according to the Daily Report. He was convicted of felony murder on April 23 for the September 2016 slaying. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also has stories here and here.
McIver had maintained he was holding a gun because he feared the neighborhood they were riding in, and he accidentally shot Diane McIver after falling asleep. She was in the passenger seat and a friend was driving.
Prosecutors had contended Tex McIver was facing financial problems and owed his wife hundreds of thousands of dollars when he shot her. McIver’s law firm income had dropped from an average of $570,000 to $275,000 during his marriage.
Judge Robert McBurney sentenced McIver under a Georgia law that dictates a life sentence, but gives the judge discretion on whether the sentence is with or without parole, according to the Daily Report. The law requires a minimum of 30 years in jail before parole.
During the hearing, McIver said he and his wife were very much in love, and he was able to communicate with her “telepathically” when she was not with him. “There just aren’t words to describe the nature of our relationship; the energy we derived from each other,” he said.
McIver said he has not been alone in his jail cell because he felt the presence of his slain wife. “It’s as if she’s on the other side of a curtain or another dimension. I’ve never felt alone,” he said.
McIver thanked people who supported him during the trial, praised his younger sister who was in court every day, and said one of the things he misses most is Chick-fil-A.
After McIver spoke, McBurney said he never heard McIver say he was sorry for what he did. “To me, that speaks volumes,” McBurney said.
