Attorney appointed for murder suspect

Lewis Bennett, the man accused of killing his wife during their honeymoon getaway in the Caribbean, will be represented by the Federal Public Defender’s Office now that he has been charged with murder, a Miami judge ruled Monday.

Bennett, 40, is serving seven months in prison after pleading guilty in a stolen coin case, but a murder conviction could insure he never goes free again.

Bennett and Isabella Hellmann, 41, of Delray Beach, were on a belated honeymoon voyage on the catamaran “Surf Into Summer” last May, their young daughter staying with Hellman’s relatives in Delray Beach. But Hellman never returned from the voyage.

Bennett told investigators that the vessel struck something in the water and partially sank about 30 miles west of Cay Sal, north of Cuba and southeast of the Florida Keys.

But investigators said Bennett’s story was not credible.

The couple’s boat appeared to have suffered intentional damage on both sides of its hull that was not the result of a collision, a Coast Guard expert found. The expert said the damage came “from inside the vessel,” according to FBI records released when Bennett was formally charged with murder last week.

The victim’s body was never found. Court records do not disclose how investigators believe Hellmann died.

The Coast Guard found Bennett on a raft with a stash of collectible silver and gold coins as the boat sank, according to federal authorities.

Bennett pleaded guilty to charges of transporting stolen goods valued at $5,000 or more and was sentenced last week to seven months. He was represented by private lawyers in that case.

The couple’s child is now living in England with Bennett’s family.

A detention hearing scheduled for Monday morning was postponed until Friday to give the federal public defender’s office time to prepare.

rolmeda@SunSentinel.com, 954-356-4457, Twitter @SSCourts and @rolmeda