Guilty plea over missing wife
But what happened to Isabella
FORMER Gold Coast businessman Lewis Bennett has pleaded guilty in a Florida court to involuntary manslaughter, but just how his wife died on their private honeymoon cruise between Cuba and the US appears likely to forever remain a mystery.
Isabella Hellman went missing off the Bahamas on May 15 last year as the couple sailed a 12m catamaran.
Hellman’s distraught family claimed she had met foul play at the hands of Bennett, a dual Australian-UK citizen, and police originally charged him with second-degree murder.
Bennett, 41, said his wife was at the helm about 1am when he was awoken by a thump, searched the catamaran, could not find his wife and had to abandon the vessel when it started to sink.
After the catamaran was recovered a US Coast Guard expert determined it had suffered intentional damage, not from a collision, but “from inside the vessel” in both hulls.
Two escape hatches were also open below the waterline, leading to flooding in the cabin, investigators alleged.
Despite pleading guilty to the lesser charge, Bennett still claims he does not know what happened to his wife and mother of their two-year-old daughter Emelia. Bennett says Ms Hellman’s death was an accident caused by his negligence because he did not require her to wear a life vest or safety harness tethered to the catamaran.
The guilty plea ends the potentially sensational trial that was set to begin next month.
If the trial had gone ahead Bennett faced life in prison if convicted of the murder charge while prosecutors had the potential stumbling block with a jury of her body never being found. Bennett is due to be sentenced on January 10. Prosecutors will recommend he serve eight years in jail while his lawyers will not seek less than seven years.
“Although nothing can ever erase the pain and suffering caused by Lewis Bennett’s criminal acts, the US Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners hope that the defendant’s admission of guilt is a step toward justice for the victim, Ms Isabella Hellmann, and her family,” US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Fajardo Orshan, said.
After abandoning the catamaran for a life raft, the first person Bennett called on discovering his new wife had fallen overboard was a friend on the Gold Coast.
The friend then called volunteer coast guards at Southport, who alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority who in turn forwarded the information to the US Coast Guard.
A US Coast Guard helicopter found Mr Bennett about four hours after he phoned Australia. However, a four-day search of 17,000sq km failed to find Ms Hellman.
When he was found he had a heavy bag containing gold and silver coins. He admitted to smuggling the stolen coins worth about $53,000 and was given a seven-month jail term.
Bennett’s daughter is believed to be in the UK with his family. Ms Hellman’s family in Florida are desperate to see her. Prosecutors originally alleged Bennett committed the murder and sank the catamaran after Ms Hellman refused to move with their daughter to Australia.