Georgia attorney sells his wife's colossal collection of furs, designer shoes and jewels to raise $350k just two months after he 'accidentally' shot her dead in SUV

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A little over two months after a prominent Georgia attorney said he accidentally shot dead his socialite wife in an SUV, the widower held an estate sale of his wife's colossal collection of designer clothing, promoted as ‘a fashionista's dream closet'.

Atlanta businesswoman Diane McIver, 63, died in late September after her husband, Claud 'Tex' McIver, shot her in the back with a revolver when he was jolted awake inside their vehicle.

Mr McIver, 74, a well-known corporate attorney who is active in Georgia’s Republican political circles, has vehemently denied the notion that he intentionally shot his wife, describing the September 25 fatal incident as an 'accident' that ruined his life.

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Embarrassment of riches: Claud 'Tex' McIver, who says he accidentally shot his wife, Diane, in late September, has put up her entire collection of clothes, shoes and costume jewelry up for sale (pictured) 

Avert your eyes, PETA! Among the items being sold off are 121 fur coats, including one by Thierry Mugler that originally cost $6,800

As the executor of her estate, Mr McIver put up Diane's possessions for sale to help cover $350,000 in bequests to her friends and employees 

So far, no charges have been filed in Diane McIver's death as police continue to investigate the confusing circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Meanwhile, Tex McIver has put his late wife's vast wardrobe consisting of some 2,000 pieces of designer clothing, shoes, hats and jewelry, up for sale to raise $350,000 in bequests that Diane left in her will to her close friends and employees.

The estate sale, which is being handled by Peachtree Battle Estate Sales & Liquidations, opened on December 7 and was supposed to run through December 10, but it has generated so much interest that an extra day was added on Wednesday in hopes of offloading about 250 remaining items.

Photos from the 1,200-square-foot Buckhead showroom housing the sale depict rows of shelves and racks groaning under the weight of numerous fur coats, extravagant hats, hundreds of scarves, handbags 'for every occasion,' including one bedazzled purse shaped like an owl, and high-end shoes and boots of every imaginable hue and style.

Clotheshorse: Photos from the 1,200-square-foot Buckhead showroom housing the sale depict rows of shelves and racks laden with Diane McIver's extravagant outfits

Pop of color: McIver had amassed hundreds of scarves of every imaginable hue and lenght

Bold style: The estate sale also includes more than 500 pieces of fine Italian and French costume jewelry

According to the website of the company handling the sale of Diane McIver's prized possessions, her sartorial collection includes clothing items by some of the most prestigious fashion designers and brands in the world, among them Jimmy Choo, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Prada, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Valentino, to name just a few.

Of the 121 fur coats in McIver's closet, one by designer Thierry Mugler still had a $6,800 price tag attached to it.

The estate sale also includes more than 500 pieces of fine Italian and French costume jewelry, leather and suede jackets, evening gowns, as well as 'cruise wear’ and even ski apparel.

Besides costly garments and accessories, the hot-ticket sale also includes collectible Barbie and American Girl dolls, antique pottery, chandeliers and furniture, reported 11Alive.

Shoe envy: Hundreds of pairs of high-end shoes and boots from top desginers were also on offer

Hats off: McIver's closet contained a vast collection of various hats, pictured above  

Besides costly garments and accessories, the hot-ticket sale also included collectibles and antiques, includes decorative goblets and plates 

‘Our sales are always popular, but this was off the charts,’ Robert Ahlers, the owner of the company managing the sale, told Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

Ahlers estimated that somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 bargain-hunters visited his showroom last week, making the McIver sale one of the most attended events in the company's history. While the owner would not say how much money was raised, he noted that the sale 'exceeded expectations.'

Attorney Steve Maples, who represents Tex McIver, explained that the estate sale was arranged by Diane McIver's probate lawyer, who wrote her will back in 2006.

The liquidation of Diane McIver's estate will continue next month, when some high-priced possessions that were not part of the estate sale will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Some of the proceeds from the estate sale will be used to cover specific bequests spelled out in Diane McIver's will.

The deceased businesswoman's friend and former employee Wanda Hugh will receive $200,000, another $100,000 will go to a woman named Cathi Johansen, and McIver's long-time housekeeper will get $50,000.

Stanley Smith, the lawyer who had prepared Diane's will a decade before her death, told the station CBS46 that as the executor of her estate, her husband had no choice but to sell off his wife's possessions.

‘The estate did not have those cash assets to make those payments to them, so the estate executor is required under to law to then change the assets from what they were to cash to pay those bequests,’ Smith said.

Tragic couple: Atlanta businesswoman Diane McIver, 63 (left), was shot dead by her husband, attorney Tex McIver (right), when a revolver accidentally discharged

Tex McIver's attorney said that if the estate sales ends up raising more than $350,000, the remainder will be donated to charity, but according to Smith, that money will first go into a trust fund, which the widower will be able to use as he sees fit.

'After he passes, it goes to charity,' Smith explained.  

Police have been reluctant to divulge information related to this case, citing an ongoing investigation.

Claud McIver has passed a polygraph test conducted by an examiner who was hired by his attorney, Stephen Maples, reported the station CBS46.

During the test, McIver was asked if he intentionally shot his wife, if he knowingly shot his wife, or if he was consciously doing anything with the gun that could have made it go off.

Richard Rackleff, who conducted the lie detector test, said that McIver replied, 'no,' to all three questions, and that the polygraph did not register that he was lying.

Rackleff said McIver appeared to be overcome with grief and cried several times while undergoing the test.

The polygraph expert also revealed that in his conversation with McIver prior to the test, the man told him that on the evening of September 25, he was dozing in the backseat of his Ford Explorer SUV when he woke up with a jolt, causing the gun in his lap to fire.

His wife was riding directly in front of him, and the bullet from the revolver struck her in the back, leaving her mortally wounded.

McIver's attorney told the Journal Constitution that the reason his client had the .38-caliber revolver in his lap in the first place was because earlier in the evening, as he and Diane were ridding home from their farm in Eatonton, they saw a group of people approach their vehicle.

Mr McIver then asked his wife to take the gun out of the center console and hand it to him for protection.

The husband placed the gun in a plastic grocery bag in his lap and fell sleep. As the SUV was passing by Piedmont Park, Claud McIver abruptly woke up.

Describing that fateful moment to the paper, Mr McIver said: 'I lurched and the gun fired. I must have forgotten it was in my lap. I saw a flash.'

The widower told the paper he is consumed by grief and guilt, and his only desire is to join his wife.

Lingering questions: It is unclear whether the gun fired as Mr McIver, pictured on the left outside Atlanta police headquarters, was removing it from a plastic bag, or when the SUV hit a bump in the road

‘I’m down to crying 25 times a day,' he added. 

Mark Guilbeau, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, told  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 63-year-old Diane McIver's cause of death has been listed as homicide — the death of a person at the hands of another.

Boss: Diane McIver was president of Corey Airport Services, an Atlanta-based marketing company where she had worked for more than 40 years

In early October, Bill Crane, a friend of the Atlanta couple acting as a family spokesman, told the paper that Claud McIver had retrieved his handgun, a .38-caliber snub-nose revolver, because they were concerned about unrest in Atlanta related to the Black Lives Matter movement and feared of getting carjacked.

But Mr McIver on Thursday denied ever mentioning Black Lives Matter, reported 11Alive.  

Crane also told the paper that the revolver was in Mr McIver'a lap when their 2013 Ford Expedition hit a bump in the road and the weapon accidentally discharged, killing Diane.

‘It was a tragic accident,’ he said.

Atlanta Police Sgt Warren Pickard later called into question Crane's account of what went on inside the McIvers' car that night, saying that the friend 'wasn't in the car, so he is not a witness to what happened.' 

In an earlier interview with WGCL, Mr Crane had said that the handgun fired as Claud McIver was taking it out of a plastic shopping bag.

Police said they were conducting repeat interviews of witnesses to the shooting.

‘Sometimes you have to question the person three or four times to get the answer you need,’ said Sgt Pickard. ‘We are going to let those interview sessions lead us in the right direction.’

Diane McIver was president of Corey Airport Services, a successful Atlanta-based marketing company where she had worked for more than 40 years. 

Pied a terre: Diane and Tex McIver own an apartment in a luxury complex in Buckhead, Atlanta (pictured)

Her husband is a partner in the Atlanta office of Fisher Phillips LLP specializing in labor and employment law. He is also a vice president of the Georgia State Election Board, and as of August, a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Gun Violence.  

The fatal incident took place at around 10.40pm on September 25 as Diane and Tex McIver were riding in the 2013 Ford Expedition from their sprawling farm in rural Putnam County to their apartment in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.

Sad irony: Mr McIver is a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Gun Violence

The SUV was reportedly riding along Piedmont Avenue, past Piedmont Park, when Claud McIver became concerned about carjackers after seeing some people make their way towards their SUV and asked for the gun.

After the shooting, Diane was rushed to Emory University Hospital, where she succumbed to her injures shortly before 1am Monday. 

An incident report that was put out by the department last Wednesday made no mention of any other occupants of the Ford SUV other than the victim, but Mr McIver said the driver of the vehicle was a close family friend named Dani Jo.

'This is one of those situations we’re working through very slowly,' police Sgt. Warren Pickard said. 'We want to get it right.'

‘Diane was a vivacious, beautiful, entertaining woman who was a lot of fun to around,’ Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told the station 11Alive.

The sheriff described Tex McIver as distraught and grief-stricken over his wife's death.