9 months ago when Winston "Tanga" James was executed in broad daylight as he drove on East Canal, his passenger and girlfriend Mary Beth Wade somehow survived.
But surviving was never so complicated - and that moment set in motion a series of events that would alter her life forever.
Tonight, she's in the United States where she has applied for asylum, after fleeing Belize in fear for her life. So, she's far removed from the people she says threatened to kill her and, above all, was staying low.
That was until Wednesday when Commissioner of Police Chester Williams was asked whether or not Wade was wanted for the murder of her former partner. Willams said she wasn't but called her a "person of interest" in the case.
Well, that didn't sit well with Mary Beth, and after that newscast, she reached out to 7News to express her anger and frustration at the commissioner's words.
Tonight, we're airing that exclusive interview, one where Mary Beth told me about the cocaine bounty that was paid to Tanga's Killer as well the truth behind who ordered the hit.
We've subtitled those words only in the interest of protecting her family, who remain in Belize. Here's how she put it in a Whatsapp video call from the US:
Cherisse Halsall:
"Who killed Tanga or who ordered his death?"
Mary Beth Wade, Seeking US Asylum
"He owed them a lot of money. I know exactly who got 20 kilos to do, to kill him and me. I know exactly who got it and number one right, nobody is retarded if I had ordered that I would not have put myself there to get shot."
Cherisse Halsall:
"That makes sense."
Mary Beth Wade, Seeking US Asylum
"People say I got grazed by bullets. I got shot in my hand and had to do surgery to take out bullets, who would put their lives in danger. If Tanga didn't put my head down it was my head side that would have gotten bust out. You've seen where the gunshot is through my window."
Cherisse Halsall:
"And you've lost your home, you've lost your home, you've lost your own children in having to escape?"
Mary Beth Wade, Seeking US Asylum
"Exactly I had to give up my kids, my ma, my home that I worked so hard for, my farm life, everything that I love I had to walk away from my cars everything you know what I came to the United States with, three suits of clothes, and you can go on my Facebook and see how much clothes, shoes, and tennis I had. I had to come left everything because of one stupid young bwoy who said "oh, tell Mary Beth if she no bring the money she would get dealt with too." He sent that voice note to Tanga's brother because he thought that I wanted to kill him. So, he was trying to get them to kill me before I got to him, that's what he probably said in his head."
"It had already surfaced in Belize, everyone had already said that I killed Tanga because that is the voice clip that made them say that I killed Tanga and that is the voice clip that made BLC say that I killed Tanga, you understand. So when BLC was trying to kill me now, what did I do? I jumped ship. I went to Brandon."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Yeah."
Mary Beth Wade, Seeking US Asylum
"You understand, so who could blame me for trying to save my own life and jumping on someone who wants to help me. Who knows that I'm innocent, he is innocent. we don't have anything to do with it, you understand, we are just cool, we are just friends you understand and me in the line of business and Chester knows this, in my line of business that I used to do me and all they bwoy dah bally. Who Tanga was warring with or had problems with was not my business. I didn't mix their business with my money, people who Tanga didn't talk to I worked with, people that didn't talk to me who mess with Tanga, tanga deal with, that is the line of the business. You don't mix money with stupidity and who hate who outta street, you just make your money you understand."
"I got called stupid, I got called man clown, I got called idiot, I got called all kinds of things but you know what I always tell them. If you are with someone and you truly love them you will stick with them through thick or thin no matter what, if I had left Tanga in prison who would have helped him to pay off the 4,000 dollars that he had at court to pay, that he owed the court, who would have helped him to pay all those lawyer fees, help him pay everything, who would do it. No mother, no brother, no sister, no one showed up, me. I have the video where I went to take him out of prison one night, me."
