My children’s dad paid hitmen to kill me for wanting a divorce – but they shot the wrong woman in botched plot

GLANCING astatine the bare spot astatine the meal array astatine each day oregon household gathering, Amanda Canales is deed by an affectional tidal question of some grief and guilt.

Grief for the nonaccomplishment of her beloved sister Alisha who was changeable dormant and guilt due to the fact that successful a unimaginable concatenation of events, Alisha had taken the slug for Amanda who had been the intended target.

Tragically, Alisha's execution was the effect of mum-of-three Amanda's ex Kevin Lewis hiring his relative to execution her aft she yet near him aft years of home abuse.

However they changeable dormant the incorrect pistillate - a mistake which saw Amanda's beingness spared.

She says: "People archer maine each the clip it's not my fault.

"I recognize that logically... But it's ever going to beryllium there. I was the nexus betwixt them.

"But I should person seen the reddish flags. I should person moved. I should person been much careful. I should person played it safe.

"Had I known the astir unsafe clip for a idiosyncratic successful a domestic violence narration is erstwhile they effort to permission I astir apt would person done things differently."

A 'picture perfect' romance

Amanda archetypal met Kevin - who had been successful the subject - successful 2007 astatine a restaurant.

She says: "He was determination with his person successful the booth down maine and I was determination with my friend, Ari. He was flirting and smiling and I was benignant of dismissive."

Amanda's person Ari Pines adds: "[Their story] you would deliberation was representation perfect.

"We were eating nachos and Kevin came and sat close successful our booth adjacent to Amanda. He told her helium wanted to get to cognize her amended and instrumentality her out."

Speaking successful caller Netflix existent transgression documentary Worst Ex Ever, a tearful Amanda explains however she ran into him again the pursuing weekend.

She says: "He made a gag astir however it was meant to beryllium we ran into each other."

And helium was a deed with Amanda's brother, Mannie Canales, who says: "I instantly liked him."

However, according to Mannie, their sister Alisha wasn't truthful keen.

"She thought Kevin was arrogant. Most of the worldly she said fell connected deaf ears... I'd already decided I liked him," says Mannie.

Speaking astir Alisha, besides known arsenic 'Punky', Amanda says: "[She] was precise loving, precise large property - the benignant of idiosyncratic that would bash thing for her family."

A loving father

In August 2007, aft 7 months of dating, the brace moved successful unneurotic successful their hometown Everett, Washington, and Kevin asked Amanda's dada for support to wed her, which helium gladly gave.

They wed successful July 2009, successful a lavish ceremonial with 200 guests, with Amanda's 3 sisters arsenic bridesmaids.

Two years aboriginal the brace were delighted to observe they were expecting their archetypal child, a girl they named Eliana.

When Eliana was 3 months old, Amanda recovered retired she was large again, and they had 3 children successful speedy succession - their 2 girls, Eliana and Amaya, and a small boy, Isaiah.

Amanda adds: "As soon arsenic Eliana was born, Kevin really teared up. He held her and loved her close away.

"I was a small surprised. It was a precise uncommon juncture for maine to spot him emotional."

'Who did I marry?'

However contempt appearances, determination was a acheronian broadside to Kevin, and their relationship.

Amanda says: "One of the large problems successful the matrimony was his deficiency of affection. When helium would get upset helium would effort and enactment maine down and telephone maine a batch of names.

"When I was large with my lad helium called maine a crybaby and abdominous b****. I was similar 'who did I marry?'

"I deliberation helium had abandonment issues from erstwhile helium was young.

"I retrieve asking myself if I had made a mistake successful marrying Kevin. [He] was emotionally abusive passim the marriage."

However, with divorce not a communal signifier successful Amanda's family, she tried to salvage the relationship, saying: "Certainly aft having kids I felt committed to trying to marque it enactment and truthful I tried to debar definite conversations erstwhile I learned his triggers."

'He would cheque my telephone regularly'

However, aft a mates of years of matrimony helium became adjacent much controlling.

Amanda says: "He would cheque my telephone connected a regular basis. He wanted maine to delete each of my antheral contacts successful my phone.

"There were galore times helium was upset astir thing I was wearing.

"I retrieve being astatine a household reunion.

"I was wearing a t garment and I had bent down to prime up 1 of the toys for the kids and helium got upset astir that due to the fact that my breasts were showing erstwhile I bent over.

"I was truly taken aback."

'Held hostage successful the closet'

In February 2016, Amanda yet asked for a divorce.

She says: "He was ace upset astir it, and seemed hurt. I retrieve being surprised. I truly didn't deliberation helium was going to attraction that much."

With wealth tight, the brace continued to unrecorded unneurotic until the November that year, erstwhile things truly came to a head.

Amanda says: "I was sleeping. He went into my room. He was benignant of successful a rage. He was upset, wanting to look done my phone.

"Somehow we ended up successful the closet and helium was holding maine hostage there.

"Kevin's 5ft 11, 185lb and he's a trained boxer.

"He was jamming my fingers into the unlock fastener connected my phone... and it wasn't working. Then helium conscionable punched maine quadrate successful the face.

"I retrieve being successful shock. He got a towel and started cleaning the humor disconnected my face. He hugged maine and past helium near for work."

'I'm going to termination you'

Amanda rapidly looked for a spot to rent and moved out, but didn't study the incidental to police.

She says: "Kevin was perpetually trying to person maine to travel back. He apologised each of the clip and said it would ne'er hap again. The information I didn't privation to beryllium with him conscionable drove him insane.

"At 1 constituent helium said 'come location oregon other I'm going to record for kid support, alimony, and afloat custody, and if I don't get it I'm going to termination you.

"I truly didn't deliberation it's thing helium would spell done with."

'I was wholly blindsided'

However, coming location from creation signifier 1 eve successful June 2017, Amanda was attacked connected her driveway arsenic she got retired of the car.

She recalls: "I opened the doorway and was deed implicit the head. I was wholly blindsided. One aft another, deed implicit the head. I started to panic - americium I going to marque it?

"My imaginativeness was truly blurry and I was trying not to walk out... I got a clasp of my telephone and I called 911."

Her member Mannie says: "I was terrified to larn she was assaulted, beaten, near for dormant and successful a hospital."

Amanda says: "My look is divided open, I can't determination my arm. I had breached teeth and bruises connected my legs and arms."

However constabulary said were incapable to apprehension Kevin arsenic Amanda couldn't positively ID him.

She says: "I knew it was him, but seemingly that was not enough."

Amanda filed for a extortion order, which included the kids too, stating helium couldn't spell adjacent the family, and helium was required to wage kid support.

Working overtime, Amanda relied connected the enactment of an employed nanny, and her sister Alisha, who would ever beryllium circular looking aft them.

'She's lying look down successful her ain blood'

Then, successful September 2017, Amanda was moving astatine the section infirmary arsenic the manager of anaesthesia, and was attending a large league successful New York, portion Alisha and the family's nanny Abigail cared for the kids.

Abigail recalls: "It was a mean night. We got the kids acceptable for bed.

"Normally I would enactment up truly precocious binging TV shows and due to the fact that Alisha was staying connected the sofa I didn't privation to impinge truthful I went to furniture astatine midnight."

However she was aboriginal awoken by gunshots, and successful a telephone to constabulary a intelligibly aghast Abigail tin beryllium heard saying: "I was sleeping successful my room.

"I heard 2 pops and it woke maine up. She's lying look down successful her ain blood."

Tearfully, she recalls: "The kids were asking wherever aunty Punky was. They were asking who the woman was lying connected the floor. They indispensable person been terrified."

'Those bullets were meant for me'

Unaware of the events unfolding astatine home, Amanda headed to her league meetings the adjacent morning.

She says: "I retrieve my telephone ringing. It was my dad.

"He said 'Amanda... He killed her. He killed Punky.'

"After that is simply a blur. I threw my worldly successful a suitcase and got connected the archetypal formation retired of there.

"Those bullets were meant for me."

Deputy authoritative Jarett Goodkin says: "Detectives went to talk to Kevin Lewis. He indicated helium had been location and hadn't near the residence."

Scared helium was going to instrumentality to 'finish the job', Amanda was near grieving but besides fearing for her ain life.

She says: "We had to support the clip and day of [Alisha's funeral] a concealed due to the fact that it would person been an evident known determination for me.

"It was truly unfair we couldn't grieve properly."

The large interruption successful the lawsuit

Amanda moved into a structure with the kids, and says: "I had to benignant of unrecorded having to look implicit my enarthrosis for rather a while."

While constabulary had nary leads successful the homicide case, Lewis had been sent to situation successful the meantime, yet convicted for the battle against Amanda, and got 3 years.

Eventually, constabulary were besides handed the pb they needed successful the murder, erstwhile a extremity telephone came done a fewer months later.

The telephone revealed a pistillate named Alexis Hale was making comments astir however she and her fellow killed someone.

It was discovered her fellow was Jerradon Phelps - Kevin Lewis's cousin.

Deputy authoritative Jarett Goodkin says: "This was truly the interruption we were looking for."

Paid to kill

Police started to look into the pair's telephone records and societal media accounts.

Goodkin says: "They recovered videos connected the nighttime the existent homicide was carried out.

"Snapchat showed Alexis Hale and Jerradon Phelps unneurotic connected the nighttime of the homicide [and they were] tracked from Spokane to Everett.

"[and] determination was indications they had stopped astatine Mr Lewis's location connected the mode to the determination of the homicide.

"There were besides videos aft the homicide of Mr Phelps fanning money, and comments that indicated helium had done thing to get that money."

Both were brought successful for questioning, and it was revealed they'd been paid $2,400 to transportation retired the murder, with Alexis earning conscionable $200.

Goodkin says: "Mr Phelps said that he'd been contacted by Mr Lewis, fundamentally saying helium was looking for a idiosyncratic to transportation retired a murder."

Alexis asked if determination would beryllium kids successful the house, which Kevin confirmed determination would be, and helium showed them a photograph of the people - Amanda.

In the interview, Phelps says: "Who ever was opening the doorway was getting shot."

Goodkin says: "Ultimately Mr Lewis is the mastermind down the full event."

Last enactment saved the kids

In October 2021, some Hale and Phelps pleaded blameworthy and Hale received 15 years successful situation and Phelps astir 32 years.

Lewis pleaded not guilty, truthful Amanda and her household had to endure a four-week proceedings earlier helium was recovered blameworthy and sentenced to beingness without parole.

Amanda says: "Jay's grounds was 1 of the astir hard parts.

"How Punky was hanging connected to the doorway knob and trying to support my kids, and utilized her past enactment trying to bash that.

"No punishment volition marque it just, and she's inactive gone. It doesn't close that wrong.

"In a mode I consciousness I request to unrecorded my life, but I person to unrecorded hers excessively truthful I conscionable bash my best."

Stream each 4 episodes of the Worst Ex Ever connected Netflix now.