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In the years since, Hartin has put out many accounts of what happened that night. But, this week, one of her attorneys indicates she may be prepared to make a guilty plea - and he doesn't think she will go to jail. Cherisse Halsall spoke to Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington:

Cherisse Halsall:
"You're seeking a sentence indication on Tuesday, how long after that do you expect this matter to take because I am sure, let's say, she pleads guilty, then there is a sentencing, it may be a few weeks between these dates, how long do you expect this to go on?"

Hubert Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"Not, more than another three weeks, because this is a case in which the DPP has accepted that there was no intent and that it was, there was no recklessness, no intent, no recklessness. It was just a pure accident."

"This time the learned DPP has accepted that after looking at all the evidence, and weighing up everything. She is convinced that this was a mere accident but it was an accident in which somebody lost his life."

Cherisse Halsall;
"And so, what is your expectation that Ms Hartin will get off with, some type of a fine?"

Hubert Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"Well, we have looked at 42 previous manslaughter by negligence decisions in our courts and in 39 of them where there was no extreme aggravation the person was given a fine and was ordered to pay compensation to the family. So, we are hoping, we can't do anything besides hope, we are hoping that the learned judge will be as lenient as he or she can be in this car."

"The trial is not for Manslaughter, the trial is for Manslaughter by negligence which means that the DPP has accepted that there was no intention at all in terms of this particular death that she is very very very remorseful and was able to convince the DPP that the gun went off by accident. So it was an accidental shooting we are dealing with up to now she is very heartbroken and she is very very very remorseful and if she wants the Belizean people to understand anything or know anything about this is that she is very very very sorry. And, that she has been giving the survivors some benefits, every."

Cherisse Halsall:
"She's been paying them out?"

Hubert Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"She's been giving them some benefits to help them so that they can have some of the money that they would have had if the husband or their breadwinner, their principal breadwinner, was still there. She is looking right now to what ways and means are available to them, to her to make sure that they are given more, right, but the thing that struck me when I came to the case was this was a person that was really broken up, she was very very broken up and contrite."

Cherisse Halsall:
"Now, Sir we expect this trial Tuesday to be adjourned and why we expect that is because we hear that the DPP and the judge in this case Justice Sandcroft are fighting over whether or not this trial should have a jury tell us about that."

Hubert Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"There will in my view, in my view, there is absolutely no fight, the DPP has accepted that I was negligent on the day in question subject to instructions I get from Canada because she has a Senior attorney from Canada that represents her. Subject to his instructions, I will be seeking a sentencing indication, should in case she decides to look, plead guilty, then the judge will have it all his own way and then she might just be throwing herself on the mercy of the court. I don't think she wants this to be a long drawn-out thing where the agony and the hurt just continue. She wants to bring it to an end as quickly as possible, mainly for the sake of the family who is grieving as you can imagine they are still grieving terribly."

Cherisse Halsall:
"Sir, do you feel that that sentence indication will come this Tuesday, or will it?"

Hubert Elrington, Attorney-At-Law
"I am positive subject to what my learned superior is saying."

7News will have full coverage of the trial when it starts tomorrow.