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Dateline: Deadly Detour revisits the shocking murder of a successful and wealthy Atlanta businesswoman named Diane McIver. She gained intense national media attention after her husband Tex McIver shot her inside their Ford Expedition SUV near Piedmont Park in Georgia on September 25, 2016. The shootout took place when the couple was returning home from their Eastonton ranch with their best friend Dani Jo on the same evening.
Tex won his appeal for a new trial in 2022 after the jurors of the Georgia Supreme Court allowed him to consider the lesser charge of misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter.
On January 26, 2024, he admitted his guilt for committing involuntary manslaughter and accepted a prison sentence of 15 years. He was released in January 2025 after receiving credit for the time he had already served in jail.
Continue reading more about Dateline: Deadly Detour.
Deadly Detour: Investigation reports about the murder of Diane McIver
September 25, 2016
Dateline: Deadly Detour revealed that Tex McIver shot his wife Diane McIver in the back from the rear seat of their Ford Expedition SUV. The shootout happened near Piedmont Park.
Before the deadly incident, Tex and Diane were coming back home from their Eastonton ranch with their best friend, who was behind the wheel. Diane was in the passenger seat and Tex was in the back seat.
Tex's wife died early the next morning during surgery at Emory University Hospital located on Clifton Road. In the hospital, they tried to save her but ultimately failed.
September 26, 2016
The autopsy performed on Diane revealed that she was killed by a bullet hit on her back. The medical examiners ruled the case as homicide.
October 2016
On October 6, Tex declared to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the shootout was simply an accident caused by his accidental gun discharge after the car hit a bump.
On October 12, AJC reported that Tex had fired his gun in a car carrying three teenagers outside his home in DeKalb County. The jury concluded that there was enough evidence to indict him but the case was dismissed after the parties reached a private statement.
Deadly Detour: Tex sells Diane's estate
December 2016
Tex organized a multi-day estate sale through the hosts Peachtree Battle Estate Sales and Liquidations, where her wife's clothes, jewelry and furs were auctioned off. Investigation reports revealed that he hosted more than 2,000 items from Diane's estate and after paying the commission, Tex alone made nearly $68,000.
Soon after, the Atlanta Police charged him with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. In his first court appearance, a judge granted him a $200,000 bond and ordered him to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitor.
Deadly Detour also revealed that the court ordered him to avoid any contact with employees at Diane’s workplace and with the female driver. In addition, he was strictly prohibited from carrying any weapons.
Deadly Detour: Police discover a Glock handgun
March-April 2017
Dateline revealed that Tex's bond was revoked after officers found a Glock handgun hidden in a drawer at his Buckhead condominium. His bond was revoked after the issuance of financial subpoenas by Fulton County prosecutors for the couple's monetary records.
October-December 2017
On this date, a Fulton County judge delayed Tex's trial, which was set to start at the end of the month. During this delay, he posted bond and left the Fulton County jail.
April 23, 2018
Deadly Detour also disclosed that the jury raised the stakes with a 7-count indictment to upgrade his earlier involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct charges to more serious counts including malice murder, felony murder and possession of a firearm.
The jury further found Tex guilty on all counts except malice murder. He also faced a fifth charge of witness tampering for influencing their family friend Dani Joe Carter. In a statement to 11Alive, Tex’s defense team announced their intention to appeal the verdict. His sentencing was scheduled for one month after the conviction.
Mary Margaret Oliver filed a wrongful death lawsuit
May 21, 2018
Days before Tex's scheduled sentencing, the administrator of Diane’s estate Mary Margaret Oliver filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him and Dani Jo Carter. It alleged that both Tex and Carter neglected Diane’s death.
May 23, 2018
Tex was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. During the hearing, prosecutors requested that four individuals deliver their statements.
Carter said,
"Tex McIver lied to me."
She spoke of the pain of watching her friend die in front of her. As she finished her brief statement, she turned directly toward Tex and declared that she stands for Diane.
Deadly Detour: Plea deal and release from prison
June 30, 2022
The highest court in the state overturned McIver’s conviction nearly five years after Diane’s death and granted him a new trial. His defense team had argued that the jury was not properly instructed to consider the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and the court agreed with that reasoning.
The court ruled,
"We conclude that the trial court erred in refusing McIver’s request to charge on the lesser grade of involuntary manslaughter, because the charge was authorized by law and some evidence supported the giving of the charge."
Late 2023
Prosecutors prepared to retry Tex on the felony murder charge. Still, the judge’s ruling placed strict limits on the case by preventing the state from arguing that McIver had a specific intent to kill.
January 26, 2024
To avoid a second trial, Tex accepted a negotiated plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct, and possession of a firearm. Finally, he was resentenced to 15 years.
January 9, 2025
On this date, the Georgia Parole Board approved Tex’s release and he was freed from prison nine months before the expiry of his maximum sentence.
Deadly Detour: Current status of Tex McIver
Tex McIver is now serving the remaining 7 years of his probation. According to the plea agreement, the first 5 years must be spent under strict home confinement enforced by an ankle monitor and a mandatory curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
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