Shivangi Sinha
In September 2016, Diane McIver was on her way back from a vacation. She was sitting in the passenger seat of the car that her best friend, Dani Jo Carter, was driving. When they were passing through a relatively quiet area, Carter heard a loud sound and initially thought it had come from outside. However, when she turned and looked at her friend, she saw that Diane had been shot once in the back and was struggling to breathe. Despite efforts at the hospital to save her, she passed away, and the pursuit for the whole truth about how everything had transpired began. NBC’s ‘Dateline’, especially the episode ‘Deadly Detour,’ gives the whole timeline of the case and the evidence that ultimately led to the perpetrator being convicted.
Diane McIver Was Shot While She Was in a Car With Other People
Diane Smith was born on July 21, 1953, in Auburn, Alabama. She didn’t come from a family with a lot of wealth or resources, but she built her career on her own. She rose through the ranks of Bill Corey’s company, US Enterprises, where she had started as a telephone operator. She eventually became the president of Corey Airport Services, the parent company’s airport advertising and marketing arm. She got married for the first time at 40 years old, but the marriage did not work out for her. Around 2000, she moved into a Buckhead condominium building called the Villa at Buckhead Heights in Atlanta, Georgia.
This was where she met Claud “Tex” McIver, who was also divorced. He had sent her a note welcoming her to the building, and soon the two started a relationship. In 2005, they got married at the McIvers’ Putnam County ranch and began their life together. Tex was a well-to-do lawyer, and the couple was respected and affluent members of the community. Other than that, they appeared to be quite happy, and everyone who saw their life from the outside described it as idyllic. On the night of September 25, 2016, Tex and Diane were driving back from the Putnam ranch, which they often visited for vacations.
Diane was sitting in the front passenger seat while the car was being driven by her longtime best friend, Dani Jo Carter. Tex was seated behind them. As they exited I-85 in traffic near Piedmont Park, Carter heard a loud sound and turned around to see what had happened. Diane had been struck in the back by a gunshot, and Carter immediately decided to drive her to Emory University Hospital on Clifton Road. In the early hours of September 26, 2016, Diane passed away during surgery. Her autopsy determined that her death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the spine.
Diane McIver’s Killer Always Claimed the Gun Went Off Accidentally
According to Dani Carter, what had happened was that Tex McIver had woken up from a nap and asked his wife, Diane McIver, to pass him the gun from the console. Carter said that he was worried they were in a bad neighborhood, and Diane handed him the .38-caliber gun. She said that when she stopped at a light at Piedmont Road and 14th Street, she heard a few clicks followed by a loud sound. That was when Diane said, “Tex, what did you do?” as Tex had discharged the gun. He said it was an accident and that the gun had gone off while he was sitting with it in his hand in the back seat.
The detectives were quick to notice that Tex appeared more focused on discussing the estate and his wife’s finances than grieving her death. He only claimed her remains 40 days after the autopsy was conducted. Furthermore, friends and family also pointed out that he did not seem as sad as they had expected him to be. Some friends also spoke to the detectives about a possible financial motive. The couple had reportedly disagreed over the inheritance of their fortune. Diane had reportedly wanted to name her godson, Austin Schwall, as her successor. According to the detectives, Tex wanted his children from previous relationships to receive the money instead.
Some friends also reported that Diane had made a decision of her own that might not have sat well with Tex. Prosecutors later alleged that McIver tried to shape the narrative after the shooting. He allegedly told Dani Jo Carter to say that she had not been present when he shot his wife, left a voicemail for her husband urging her to stop talking to the police, and then told the husband to delete that voicemail. Based on the circumstances surrounding Diane’s death, Tex was initially charged with felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless conduct. Once his previous run-ins with the police also came to light, he was indicted on malice murder, along with six other charges. He was ultimately found guilty of felony murder, among other charges.
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