Sailor could be free in 18 months after plea deal over wife’s death
Briton admits involuntary manslaughter after his newlywed partner was lost at sea off their catamaran
A BRITISH sailor has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his new wife, who went missing from their sinking catamaran off the coast of Cuba, meaning he could be released in 18 months.
Lewis Bennett, of Poole, Dorset, admitted involuntary manslaughter at a change of plea hearing in Miami on Monday, following the death of Isabella Hellmann in May last year.
“Bennett will now be held accountable for his wife’s death while on the high seas,” said Tom Jones, acting special agent and FBI Miami office head.
Bennett, 41, was previously facing a murder charge, which would have carried up to 17 years in prison.
He now faces a maximum eight-year prison term for unlawful killing without malice, when he is sentenced in January, and could be released in 18 months to two years.
Prosecution experts said that the agreement was likely reached to provide closure for the family, in a case which would be hard to prove.
“You’ve got no body, no great physical evidence, a defendant who would probably take to the witness stand to testify in his defence – and you’ve got to convince all 12 jurors in federal court,” said David Weinstein, a Miamibased lawyer.
“That’s a gamble. Stack that against a conviction that will definitely put the defendant in prison, give the victim’s family some closure, stop him from collecting on life insurance and probably help to terminate his parental rights to the couple’s child.
“They say a plea bargain means that both sides are unhappy but both sides can live with the outcome.”
Joel Weissman, the Hellmann family’s lawyer, said: “Although they already knew, they now have confirmation that their beloved daughter and sister, Isabella, was never coming back to us, [that] we now have confirmation that she was taken from us by her husband.
“The pain he has caused them is unbearable and never goes away.”
Ariana Fajardo Orshan, attorney for the Southern district of Florida, said: “Although nothing can ever erase the pain and suffering caused by 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 and her family.”
Edward Downey, Bennett’s lawyer, declined to comment.
The couple started their expedition in St Maarten in April last year, having married three months earlier and left their infant daughter, Emelia, with her family in Florida. They sailed the catamaran Surf Into Summer to Puerto Rico and Cuba, then headed back towards their home in Delray Beach, Florida.
According to court documents, Bennett, an experienced sailor and strong swimmer, was awoken on May 15 when he heard a loud noise while resting in their cabin. He said he climbed to the exterior of the boat and observed that the sails and rigging were loose, the helm of the vessel was unmanned, and his wife – who had limited experience of sailing – was not there.
Bennett admitted that he did not deploy flares to illuminate the area in order
‘We now have confirmation their beloved daughter and sister, Isabella, was taken from us by her husband’
to look for Ms Hellmann, or to signal his position in the open water and that he did not search for his wife nor did he immediately raise the alarm.
He later abandoned the 37ft vessel and boarded the life raft. Expert testimony found the vessel had been deliberately sunk. It was not until Bennett boarded the life raft that he called for help and reported his wife missing, 45 minutes after he woke up in the cabin. Her body has never been found.
Prosecutors initially alleged he murdered her and deliberately scuttled the vessel to inherit her apartment and the contents of her bank account.
Bennett wanted to move to Australia with their daughter, but Ms Hellmann did not want to go, friends told investigators. Police also found that Bennett was smuggling stolen rare coins worth £30,000 during his rescue, which could have been a further motive to kill her. He admitted transporting the coins and is serving a seven-month jail term.