Georgia Supreme Court overturns prominent Atlanta attorney's murder conviction in wife's killing
CNN
Georgia's highest court on Thursday unanimously overturned the murder conviction of a prominent Atlanta attorney in the death of his wife and granted him a new trial.
Claud "Tex" McIver was convicted in 2018 of felony murder and other charges stemming from the 2016 killing of his wife, Diane, who was fatally shot by McIver while sitting in front of him in a car. The attorney previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the shooting was an accident and that the gun, which was on his lap while he was sleeping in the back seat, fired after he was abruptly awoken.
The weekslong trial gripped the city's attention and included testimony from the friend who was driving the vehicle, firearms experts and a sleep expert who told jurors McIver suffered from a sleep behavior disorder -- which defense attorneys suggested was partially to blame for the shooting, according to the AJC. Prosecutors had called attention to alleged conflicts between the couple, including over financial interests.