A man accused of killing his wife at sea tried to inherit his estate, according to the prosecutor

Lewis Bennett was charged with second degree murder in the disappearance of his wife.

(Broward County Sheriff's Office)

A British prosecutor murdered his wife and deliberately sunk the couple's catamaran near the Bahamas in order to inherit his property, prosecutors said last week.

Lewis Bennett, 41, was charged with second degree murder on the high seas when Isabella Hellmann, 41, of Delray Beach, Fla., Passed away in May 2017. Bennett and his wife were on their honeymoon at Saint John's Martin, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Hellmann's family reportedly harassed his apartment in Delray Beach to listen to Bennett's conversations, as they thought he was involved in his disappearance, The Guardian reported, citing court documents.

A Miami federal judge has been asked to admit Hellmann's conversations with his family, which would have been discussed arguments about a possible move to Australia, financial difficulties and the recovery of their daughter, the newspaper reported. Attorney Benjamin Greenberg said that the conversations show that the couple was constantly arguing.

"The murder of Hellmann would remove the marital conflict from the life of the accused, would allow the accused to live his life as he pleased and would allow him to inherit the life of the accused. Hellmann's estate money, which all provide circumstantial evidence Hellmann's murder, "said Greenberg.

Bennett would inherit Hellman's apartment and bank account if she was declared dead, according to The Guardian. His body has not been found yet.

The FBI said in an affidavit in February that financial greed was the likely reason for Hellman's murder. The document also states that Bennett did nothing to look for his wife, but saved a tea service.

Bennett told the investigators that the night Hellman was gone, he had gone under the deck of their boat near the Cay Cay bench in the Bahamas, to sleep around 8 pm, activated the autopilot and let Hellmann monitor him. The FBI has wrongly stated to have disappeared after the alleged accident. Investigators said they found evidence that Bennett had intentionally attempted to sink the boat.

Bennett almost immediately took a life raft with baggage and other items and took no steps to find his wife, the FBI said.

Prosecutors also said that Hellman may have discovered that he was in possession of stolen rare coins from a former employer in St. Martin, which could have made him an accomplice to a crime. An argument about the coins "potentially led to an intense argument leading to the murder of Hellman," Greenberg said.

Bennett admitted to transporting the parts and was sentenced to seven months in prison.

Bennett would be tried in December in the murder case.

Associated Press contributed to this report.