Man, Is He Guilty Of The Death Of His Wife On A Boat?

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Following the death of his Cuban-American Isabella Hellman on a ship at sea during their honeymoon, police began investigating her husband, Lewis Bennet, 41, as a suspect. Nine months later Bennet has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, according to a statement from authorities.

The statement details that the man was able to take a series of actions that he did not take to save his wife's life. "Lewis Bennett will be held responsible for the death of his wife," said FBI agent Tom James in Miami.

In May 2017, Bennett - who is a citizen of Australia and the United States - and his wife Isabella Hellman - a US citizen born in Cuba - left the Caribbean island for Florida in the husband's catamaran. They had only been married for three months, according to the Miami Herald. Around 8 p.m., Bennet asked Hellman to take control of the ship without putting on a life jacket or light to identify her during the night.

The next morning Bennett woke up to a noise and realized that the sails were out and that his wife was missing at sea. Bennett says he does not remember whether he called his wife, according to his statement. He did not light flares to call for help and be rescued.

The catamaran could no longer be operated, and Bennett, an experienced sailor, left the ship and left on a raft filled with first aid supplies and a collection of silver coins. It was then, when he was already away from the catamaran and safe, that Bennett called the authorities and alerted them to the disappearance of his wife.

A coast guard rescued Bennett but Isabella's body was never found. According to court documents, federal prosecutors in charge of the case argued that the couple frequently fought and faced financial problems. Investigators allege that Bennett caused the death of his wife and made it look like an accident, destroying the interior of the catamaran to flood it.

Before being prosecuted, Bennett bought plane tickets to the UK for himself and the baby he had with Isabella. He also attempted to have his wife declared legally dead seven months after he was rescued from the sea. In Florida, it usually takes five years to declare a person dead after reporting missing.

The man pleaded guilty to carrying $ 36,000 in stolen coins, discovered by police on the raft where he was rescued and at the couple's residence. Authorities believe that perhaps this stolen money was the cause of a fight between the couple.

Bennett will receive the judge's verdict on January 10 and face up to 8 years in prison.