On Wednesday, an Atlanta judge sentenced former prominent lawyer Tex McIver to life in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2016 shooting death of his wife.

AJC reports that as a shackled and cuffed McIver, 74, stood in front of Chief Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, he learned his fate of life imprisonment following a lengthy, high-profile trial earlier this year, that ended when a jury that found him guilty of murdering his Buckhead business executive wife, Diane, in September 2016.

Although the judge allowed the possibility of parole, the chances of McIver ever leaving prison alive is slim, as he must serve a mandatory 30 years behind bars before he’s eligible for parole, which would make him over 100 years old.

Prior to sentencing, McIver mentioned his “fans” before reading a letter from a supporter in Ireland. He also referenced his love for Chick-fil-A food, his godson Austin, and how his “prison pen-pals” were upset and shocked at the verdict. He also mentioned his wife, Diane, and still maintains that the shooting was a tragic accident.

“The luckiest day of my life was when Diane chose me,” he said. “We loved each other like small children, unabashedly.”

In the end, however, his 16-minute tirade, in which he never once apologized for his actions, didn’t get him any closer to freedom.

“I’ll tell you what’s most telling,” McBurney said on Wednesday while addressing McIver. “You had as much time as you wanted to share with me what you thought was important for me to hear and I guess your audience to hear. … I didn’t ever hear you say you’re sorry for what you did. To me, that silence speaks volumes.”

Tex McIver: What You Need to Know

As CrimeOnline previously reported, McIver was riding in the rear seat of a Ford Expedition SUV in September 2016, while his wife Diane McIver rode in the front passenger seat when he shot her, fatally injuring her. McIver claimed that the gun, a .38-caliber snub-nose revolver, discharged by accident.

Prosecutors said that McIver’s behavior after his wife’s death was a major factor in adding on the additional charges of influencing witnesses and aggravated assault. For instance, McIver told the person driving the SUV when the incident happened, Patricia “Dani Jo” Carter, to say she wasn’t there. Carter was one Diane McIver’s close friends. A few weeks later in October, McIver called Carter’s husband, Thomas Carter, and told him to tell his wife to stop communicating about the incident with law enforcement.

Tex McIver also asked a family friend, Charles William Crane, to retract a Black Lives matter statement he told the media. Previously, Tex McIver allegedly instructed Crane to act as his spokesperson and tell the public the gun was pulled out during a Black Lives Matters movement, but later changed his mind about the statement.

Crane told police that Patricia Carter pulled off of the Interstate in Putnam County, Georgia, because they were afraid of Black Lives Matters protesters in the area. Supposedly, McIver pulled a gun from the middle console in the SUV to protect himself from the protesters, and the pistol accidentally shot off and hit his wife. Later, the suspect said that the story wasn’t true and that he actually pulled the gun out because he was afraid of homeless people in the area, but he dozed off in the back seat, and the gun went off.

Another reason for the upgraded charges was evidence found in Tex McIver’s home. In December, McIver was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless conduct He was out on bond when he got arrested again on Wednesday after police found a gun hidden in his sock drawer, which violated his bond conditions.

After the shooting, Diane McIver was rushed to Emory Hospital where she reportedly told a physician that she didn’t want to see her husband.

“When I went to intubate her I said, um, ‘You want me to intubate?’ or ‘I’m going to put this tube down your throat.’ And she said, ‘Yes, please,” Dr. Suzanne Hardy of Emory Hospital said. “So then I asked, ‘Do you want to see your husband?’ I don’t know why that just came to me. And she said, ‘No.’”

One of McIver’s lawyers, Don Samuel, said that Diane McIver declining to see her husband didn’t mean he shot her intentionally. The attorney said the victim said the shooting was an accident several times without being prompted.

Prosecutors argued that the motive for the murder was Diane McIver’s money. She was the president of U.S. Enterprises Inc. and reportedly had a secret will that she drafted up shortly before she was killed. Further, it’s alleged that Tex McIver owed his wife $350,000.

[Feature Photo: Diane McIver:LinkedIn]