Mary Beth Wade - she was gangster Winston Tanga James's ride or die. And she proved true to that label when she was right beside him in the passenger seat - on the day he was fatally shot as they both drove off from his lawyer's office. She's lucky to have survived with gunshot injuries to her hand and gave police two statements at the time. And that is why she was named as one of key witnesses in the trial which has been set for trial in the Supreme Court. The two accused men are Azanne Domingo and Eustace Lewis. Mary Beth told us via Zoom from the US that she won't testify against them - and was alarmed to read in the news that she was named as a witness for the crown:
Marybeth Wade, Not A Crown Witness
"What, which crown witness? What are you talking about? And it's then people start sending me the news thing and I'm like, what the hell? You know, it's really ridiculous because at the end of the day, they're not only jeopardizing my life over here because the people have relatives over here. They're jeopardizing my entire family because I'm not there to protect them. You understand?"
"Nobody reach out to me. From I get shot, from Tanga dead. I noh hear from the police. I don't hear from nobody. No, nobody. So now when I see everybody, sending me this post that I'm a crown witness and I am the key witness. It really hit a nerve because I don't know nothin about it."
"And I never agreed to be no crown witness. I never agreed to be no part of it. Because I don't want anything to do with it. You know? I am the type of person I left that situation in God's hand. So I don't know where that come from. And the crazy part is why I reach out to you because, you see in the recent times, like, people getting killed, like their family members get killed, and they're not even in Belize. You understand? This thing's serious. At the end of the day this serious because I have to think about my parents safety, have to think about my kids' safety."
"Because now it is showing that the streets have no code. They don't respect family, They don't respect granny, uncle, auntie, you know, not even crippled bredda. Not even nobody, like babies. They noh respect nothing!"
"I'm grateful I'm alive. I'm sorry that James had to die. You know? But I just want to be done with it. It's been three years, you know? And for me to have to surface to that emotional shit where I've been through while, you know, literally was in. It just messed with my mental at the same time because I'm still not mentally healed from that day."
Jules Vasquez:
"do you understand that your testimony would be important in the identification or the, the the description of the suspects of the the persons who killed Tanga."
Marybeth Wade, Not A Crown Witness
"Yeah, but from the moment the stuff happened, I told them when I did my report, I told them twice at the hospital. And when I went in, I did not see!"
"And, you know, in these times even if I had seen, I don't know shit. Because then at the end of the day. Tanga gone! I can't do nothing about it. But I could protect my family now. I could protect myself now. I escaped death and I want to keep it that way, I want to keep my family safe."
"I want justice. I want the person responsible who got Tanga dead, got me shot - could have almost killed me- you know, I want justice, but I'm not going to be a part of it and putting my family in danger. That's my thing. Understand. My family comes first."
"So I am not taking any risk, I am not taking any chance and I never agreed to be no crown witness, I dint agree to any of that, how the hell will they just put my name out there like that? You understand me, G? Like that just crazy!"
Jules Vasquez:
"The DPP or the DPP's office would say, well, if you really want justice for Tanga, a man you shared a portion of your life with, a man you loved, well, then you would appear to do all you can to make sure that the person or persons who killed him pay for that crime."
Marybeth Wade, Not A Crown Witness
"Well, like I said, I again, I love Tanga. Oh, I will always love him.. I love my family more! I love my kids more! You understand? I will always love James and I will always love he. That will not change. And like I say again, I want justice. But they have to figured that on their own. They do their own job, the police investigation, whatever evidence they have, whatever, whatever they have, they need to use that to file for their charges. But leave me out of it"
"And that's the reason why I left Belize. Because I don't want to be in the streets no more. I don't want to live the life no more. I don't want to put my family at risk. You think I mi wah left my farm, my big house, my cars them, my lifestyle. To come to states to work hard!"
"No, I had to come to clean! Doing all kinds of things to survive. When. I could be in Belize di sleep all day and live the friggin lifestyle like a boss. No man. I noh give up everything you know, for just.alright crash everything. Because I love a man and I wah justice fi he. [No, no no no, my my family come first."
Jules Vasquez:
"So to make it clear, there is no chance you will be appearing as any kind of witness. Because, you know, because people will say, well, you could still do it by zoom if you're not gonna be in Belize,"
Marybeth Wade, Not A Crown Witness
"Nada. Never. Nunca mas. Not a chance. Forgive me for the word. Will not happen."
Wade is currently in the US as an asylum seeker.
