A former police officer charged
with killing his wife at her family-owned hotel in the North Carolina mountains
surprised his own attorney and a prosecutor by refusing to take a plea deal.
Prosecutors said Friday that
47-year-old Travis McGraw will face a first-degree murder trial in May. The
state offered McGraw a plea deal to second-degree murder, with a sentence of 10
years to 13 years.in prison.
McGraw's attorney, Tony Dalton,
says he was ready for the guilty plea when McGraw changed his mind. The
attorney says McGraw has maintained his innocence in the case.
Authorities say McGraw killed
his wife at the Saluda Mountain Lodge just off Interstate 26 in Polk County
after his mistress demanded he let his wife know about their affair or she
would tell her.