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In documents filed last week, federal prosecutors exposed their case against Lewis Bennett, alleging that he had killed his wife at sea in 2017 before deliberately sabotaging her own boat, all in an effort to inherit the home that she owned in Delray Beach, Florida.
The documents, obtained by PEOPLE, allege that Bennett wanted to leave his marriage and that he and his wife, Isabella Hellmann, mother of Florida, were in financial trouble, which led to constant arguments.
Hellmann, a 41-year-old real estate broker, disappeared in May 2017 while on a honeymoon with Bennett, 42, and has not been seen since. The couple left St. Martin in the Caribbean and traveled to Puerto Rico and Cuba before returning to Florida.
The criminal complaint against Bennett, who was rescued from a life raft by the Coast Guard, alleges that he told the investigators that he was sleeping under the deck of his boat when he heard the ship hit something shortly before the disappearance of his wife.
RELATED: Florida mom's husband who went missing at sea during a boat trip is charged with murder
Bennett, a British and Australian citizen, reportedly told the FBI that the pilot was in the car.
Lewis Bennett
Broward Sheriff's Office
After emerging, he said, there was no trace of Hellmann. He said that she was wearing a lifejacket during her last visit, says the complaint.
The investigators allege that Bennett staged the accident, damaging the boat from the inside, which led him to take water. Bennett is in detention after pleading guilty at the beginning of the year to stealing $ 36,000 of stolen coins, which police recovered from Hellmann's life raft and home.
According to the new deposits, the couple owed nearly $ 2,500 in property taxes and had a large credit card debt. At one point, the records indicate that they were warned that their electricity would be cut off because of their overdue account.
RELATED: The FBI searches the home of a Florida mom who went missing at sea on a trip with her husband
A document indicates that Hellmann once told a friend that Bennett would not discuss his finances and that she had no idea how he was making money. The paper notes that between 2014 and 2017, it made $ 214,186 in transfers between its international bank accounts.
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Prosecutors request that evidence regarding stolen items be admitted into evidence. The documents present the possibility that Hellmann found the stolen coins, which "could have led to an intense dispute leading to the murder of Hellmann".
One of the statements reads as follows: "The stolen silver coins were in the accused's life raft when he was saved, while Hellmann was not.
RELATED: 5 things to know about Florida's mom missing at sea after a boating trip with her new husband
The prosecution would also like to present text messages to the court, which prosecutors say is strengthening their demands.
Bennett will be tried in December on a charge of second degree murder.
Two weeks after the disappearance of his wife, Bennett bought one-way tickets for the UK for himself and the baby's daughter.
The new deposits allege that he tried to obtain citizenship for his child. It also specifies Bennett's request to have Hellmann legally declared dead seven months after being rescued. In Florida, such a determination is usually made when someone has been missing for five years, the documents say.
Bennett would have inherited his house if a judge had approved the application.
Bennett's lawyers could not be reached for comment.
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