Lewis Bennett entering plea deal over murder of wife Isabella Hellman, court documents show

FORMER Gold Coast man Lewis Bennett had denied killing his wife as they sailed the Caribbean on their honeymoon. But new court documents reveal that could change.

FORMER Gold Coast man Lewis Bennett had denied he had anything to do with the murder of his wife Isabella Hellman.

The British-Australian dual national pleaded not guilty after prosecutors alleged he killed his wife and deliberately sank their catamaran in the Caribbean.

He stood to inherit her estate.

But things could soon change, the Sun Sentinel reports, with Bennett reportedly engaged in a plea deal.

MORE: The first call Bennett made after his wife’s disappearance

MORE: Lewis Bennett’s alleged motive for killing Isabella Hellmann

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Lewis Bennett is alleged to have killed his wife Isabella Hellman while sailing on their honeymoon. Picture: Broward Sheriff's Office

His plea options would be no contest or guilty of a lesser charge, the Palm Beach Postreported.

Bennett, 41, was originally arrested for smuggling rare coins when he was rescued without his wife off Cuba’s coast. He pleaded guilty, and soon after, federal prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder.

It was alleged he killed Ms Hellman while sailing from Cuba to Florida in May last year because she refused to move to Australia with him and their baby daughter Ella. They were living in America at the time.

Bennett has been in a US federal prison since.

“Counsel for both parties are actively engaged in plea negotiations,” Bennett’s lawyer, Vanessa Chen, wrote in court filings, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Lewis Bennett and Isabella Hellmann had previously had a row over a number of issues. Picture: Supplied

It’s alleged Bennett sabotaged the boat between Cuba and Florida after his wife refused to move with him and daughter to Australia. Picture: US Coast Guard

Bennett was set to stand trial on December 10 and had denied being part of any foul play. When he called the US Coast Guard on the fateful evening of May 15, 2017, he said his 12m catamaran had struck something and was taking on water. Bennett said he emerged from below deck to find his wife missing from the helm.

She has never been found, and the couple’s daughter, now two-years-old, is understood to still be with Bennett’s parents in the UK.

Ms Hellman has never been found. Picture: Supplied

Earlier court documents revealed Ms Hellman’s family became suspicious when Bennett requested a “letter of presumed death” so he could settle her estate less than 24 hours after the incident.

Prosecutors had also alleged the couple were arguing about financial problems and their young daughter.

“Hellmann’s murder would remove the marital strife from the defendant’s life, allow the defendant to live his life as he pleased, and would enable him to inherit money from Hellmann’s estate, all of which provide strong circumstantial proof that the defendant had a strong motive to murder Hellmann,” Prosecutor Benjamin Greenberg suggested in September.

Court documents disclosed in September showed a row that occurred between the couple via text message.

“You make me crazy shouting, yelling, swearing,” Ms Hellman wrote on one occasion before her disappearance

“I’m tired of you telling me I’m the MOST WORSE PERSON YOU EVER MET BEFORE, everything I do it’s WRONG … this is very pathetic Lewis,” another said.

If the plea deal negotiations fail, Bennett will stand trial as previously planned on December 10.