South Florida

South Florida Man Has Sentencing Delayed in Newlywed Wife's Disappearance at Sea

What to Know

  • Lewis Bennett faces a maximum eight-year prison sentence in the May 2017 disappearance of Isabella Hellmann, his wife of three months.

A family dispute has delayed prison sentencing for Florida man whose newlywed wife vanished at sea as the couple sailed a catamaran off the Bahamas.

A Miami federal judge said at a hearing Tuesday that he needed more information about visitation and a trust fund for the couple's young child. Sentencing was reset for May 28.

The 41-year-old Lewis Bennett, who has dual British and Australian citizenship, faces a maximum eight-year prison sentence in the May 2017 disappearance of Isabella Hellmann, his wife of three months.

Bennett insists he left Hellmann on deck when he went to go to sleep. Bennett said he awoke when the boat hit something and Hellmann disappeared.

The FBI says the catamaran had open portholes and damage to the hull was caused from the inside.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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