sqlite3.0 library and xcode returning error "1"

I am using the sqlite3.0 library with xcode and I'm having trouble deleting rows from my database. I am using a tableview to generate my DELETE sql query and calling another method to execute it. However, the code is not being run in the if block where i test "test". test evaluates to and int value of 1, which is listed as " /* SQL error or missing database */ " in the definition in the sqllite API code.

I am not sure how to debug this one as I am unsure of how the API truly works under the hood. it seems that the arguments to the C function are all valid. the query looks fine in the debugger, the null, null, &error are all standard from what i've seen online. And I am not sure how passing the personDB, which is a "sqlite3" type object as an instance variable in my tableviewcontroller class.

anyone with this sqlite API experience who can point me in the right direction?

   -(void)deleteData:(NSString *)deleteQuery
        {
    char *error;
    int test = sqlite3_exec(personDB, [deleteQuery UTF8String], NULL, NULL, &error);
    if (test==SQLITE_OK)
    {
        NSLog(@"Person Deleted");
        UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc]initWithTitle:@"Delete" message:@"Person Deleted" delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:@"Close" otherButtonTitles:nil];
        [alert show];
    }
    }