‘Breakdown’ S05, Ep. 3:  Muddy Waters

McIver confers with attorney Bruce Harvey, who has been joined on the defense team by Don Samuel. Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com

McIver confers with attorney Bruce Harvey, who has been joined on the defense team by Don Samuel. Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com

The Tex McIver murder trial in early March will spotlight some of the most high-powered legal talent in Georgia.

For the state, Fulton County Chief Assistant District Attorney Clint Rucker will bring his trademark prosecutorial outrage and often strident voice to the courtroom. The defense will be led by two of Georgia’s best-known trial lawyers: Bruce Harvey and Don Samuel.

You'll meet the lawyers in the next episode of the AJC's podcast Breakdown: The McIver Murder Case which goes live early Monday — exactly one week before Claud "Tex" McIver is scheduled to go on trial March 5.

Prosecutor Clint Rucker, foreground, questions a witness during a hearing in April. Defendant Tex McIver, right, looks on. Henry Taylor / henry.taylor@ajc.com

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McIver, 75, is charged with malice murder in the death of his wife, Diane, whom he shot in the back while the two rode up Piedmont Avenue in their Ford SUV in 2016. The DA says the shooting was deliberate and premeditated. The defense says it was a tragic accident.

Our new “Breakdown” episode brings you up to date on developments since the judge delayed the start of McIver’s trial in October. It also profiles the three lawyers who will try the case: the prosecution wants a life sentence; the defense says McIver did not mean to shoot his wife and insists that the state can’t prove otherwise.

This episode acquaints you with Rucker’s “muddy waters” tactic, as well as the times Harvey was cited for contempt by judges who didn’t appreciate his antics in court.

You can listen to the podcast at Apple Podcasts or by streaming it directly from myajc.com, right here, right now: