The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FLORIDA prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence for a British man who admitted to intentionally sinking his catamaran in waters near Cay Sal to murder his wife in 2017.

Relying on new photos that show damage to the ship’s hull, prosecutors have asked a judge to go above the sentencing guidelines of 41 months for Lewis Bennett, in the death of his wife, Isabella Hellman, 41.

The photos include Bennett’s sunken damaged boat and photos of the life raft on which he was rescued.

The new crucial photos show that portholes below the waterline of the vessel were opened, and that all visible damage was inflicted from the inside.

Bennett had claimed the ship struck an unknown object while he was asleep, adding that he awoke to discover his wife missing and the couple’s 37-foot catamaran taking on water.

When rescued by the United States Coast Guard on May 15, 2017, authorities noticed that Bennett loaded a suitcase and two backpacks on to his raft but had taken only one backpack with him when he was pulled from the raft by the Coast Guard swimmer.

The Coast Guard later recovered the life raft and took it to Key West.

Reports of the incident noted that Bennett was recovered with a suitcase, a backpack, unexpended parachute flares, buoys, 14 gallons of water, a second emergency position indicating radio beacon homing device, and nine plastic tubes which were found to contain some 225 of the stolen coins.

A four-day search to locate Hellman was called off on May 18, her body was never recovered.

After returning to Florida, Bennett reportedly moved the couple’s young daughter to the United Kingdom and blocked Hellman’s family from seeing her.

He then filed a motion in Florida courts seeking to have his wife declared dead so that he could take possession of their Delray Beach apartment, which a judge later rejected.

Text messages from Hellman said she noticed a change in Bennett’s behaviour after their daughter was born in 2016, noting that Bennett had become increasing angry with her.

Prosecutors claim the couple’s “marital strife” was a motive for the alleged murder.

After Bennett’s rescue at sea, prosecutors eventually charged him with second-degree murder.

But the defence was expected to claim Hellman’s death was an accident.

Bennett recently pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of eight years.

His sentencing is scheduled for tomorrow in Miami.