A veteran criminal defense lawyer defending Claud “Tex” McIver in the 75-year-old lawyer’s murder trial sought to replace the prosecutors’ narrative that McIver is a killer who tried to cover up his crime with a different story.

Defense attorney Bruce Harvey on Tuesday began a gentle cross-examination of Dani Jo Carter—the sole witness to the shooting and longtime friend of Diane McIver. Harvey portrayed Tex McIver as a courtly gentleman who truly loved the wife he claims he accidentally shot and killed after falling asleep while holding a gun. Prosecutors claim he had a financial motive.