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Attorney indicted for murder: 'I miss my wife so much. It was the perfect marriage'

ATLANTA — Just hours after a prominent Atlanta attorney was indicted on murder charges in connection with his wife's death, Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne met with him inside his jail cell.

Winne asked Tex McIver if he knew about the indictment.

“No, I had not heard that,” McIver said. “That comes as a real shock because my wife and I were the two closest people in the world.”

Earlier on Thursday, a grand jury indicted McIver on malice murder and six other counts in the Sept. 25, 2016 shooting death of his wife, Landa Diane McIver.

“This is not murder. This is a tragic accident that will ruin me all the days of my life,” McIver told Winne.

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McIver maintains his wife's death was an accident.

“I cry every day and I miss her every day. For people to think that I murdered her, I just don’t have words to respond,” McIver said. “I passed three polygraph tests, the ballistics tests, the other things that have been done. They all scream for accident,”

Winne asked McIver about life in a jail cell.

“This isn’t the first place I’d choose to be. Although the accommodations aren’t bad,” McIver said. “The people here have been incredible. They’re just some of the most professional and friendly I think I’ve ever met.”

He also talked about his faith.

“It’s my strength in God. This is a journey. I have no idea why he’s got me on it, but he’s taking me every step of the way. He’s with me,” McIver said.

McIver’s defense attorney, Steve Maples, released the following statement: "The indictment of Tex McIver is baseless and a blatant attempt to turn an accident into a homicide without a shred of evidence. We will fight vigorously to prove Mr. McIver’s innocence in a court of law. Tex has passed all polygraph exams, has cooperated every step of the way with the police and the district attorney’s office, and evidence and testimony presented in court will prove his innocence."