Video footage has emerged of Australian sailor and accused murderer Lewis Bennett involved in an emotional confrontation with his ex-wife’s family.
It was recorded in Florida by a Boca Raton police officer’s body camera two weeks after Isabella Hellman went missing.
It captures Ms Hellman’s mother and sister as Bennett, who has the couple’s baby daughter Emelia in a car, attempts to retrieve his laptop and other items from a house.
Australian sailor and murder accused Lewis Bennett (left and right) involved in an emotional confrontation with his ex-wife’s family (far-right is his mother-in-law)
The newlyweds were sailing towards their US home in May last year when Bennett made an SOS call saying the 41-year-old former estate agent was missing and the vessel was sinking (pictured together with their daughter)
The footage shows Ms Hellman’s sister, Dayana Rodriguez, telling Bennett that she does not have any of his belongs, which he claims were taken from his house.
Bennett is seen standing with a paper asking for an iPad, a laptop, clothes, dresses and several other items.
Ms Rodriguez insists they don’t have any of the items telling Bennett, ‘I know you threw a lot of stuff away. The FBI told us.’
Bennett attempts to explain to Ms Rodriguez that he did not throw ‘a single thing away’ and that someone from her family went to their house and took the stuff.
‘God you can f***ing kill me right now if I took something from your house,’ Ms Rodriguez exclaimed as she got down on her knees and placed her hands in prayer.
The video then cuts to another scene where Ms Rodriguez and her mother are outside with Bennett.
She is talking to Bennett’s daughter in the car but he won’t allow them to see her.
Ms Rodriguez’s mother begins to wail and hug and begs Bennett to let them see her telling him, ‘Please, we mean no harm’.
The police officer eventually jumps in and tells them to step away from the vehicle as Bennett is seen driving away.
Bennett (left) was later charged with murdering Ms Hellman (right), a US citizen, during a honeymoon cruise on a catamaran from Cuba to Florida in May last year
Ms Hellman’s family has been suspicious of Bennett since he was rescued in a life raft on May 15 last year by the US Coast Guard but Ms Hellman was never found (Bennett with Ms Hellman’s family)
Bennett was later charged with murdering Ms Hellman, a US citizen, during a honeymoon cruise on a catamaran from Cuba to Florida in May last year.
It was just Bennett and Ms Hellman on the 12 metre catamaran and her body was never found.
Prosecutors allege Bennett, a dual Australian-British citizen originally from Poole in Dorset, committed the murder and sunk the catamaran near the Bahamas after Ms Hellman refused to follow his wish and move with their daughter to Australia.
‘The murder of Hellman would end the financial stress placed on the defendant due to his relationship with Hellman, allow the defendant to profit financially from her murder, and enable the defendant to permanently move to Australia with their daughter,’ prosecutors wrote in a recent US District Court filing.
Ms Hellman’s family has been suspicious of Bennett since he was rescued in a life raft on May 15 last year by the US Coast Guard but Ms Hellman was never found.
The family placed listening devices in Ms Hellman’s Florida apartment while Bennett was residing there after he was rescued, according to court documents.
Bennett, 41, is in custody ahead of his murder trial in Florida in December (pictured Ms Hellman with her daughter)
A Boca Raton police officer was present when Bennett went to Ms Hellman’s parents’ home seeking a laptop, iPad and other items he alleged the family took and that is when the emotional confrontation erupted.
On the bodycam footage Emelia is in Bennett’s car in a driveway and Ms Hellman’s mother is desperate to see the baby.
Bennett, 41, is in custody ahead of his murder trial in Florida in December.
Emelia is believed to be with his parents in Britain.
Prosecutors said Bennett told authorities the couple was on the catamaran on the evening of May 14, 2017 when he retired to the cabin to sleep while Ms Hellman stayed at the helm.
Bennett claimed the catamaran struck an unknown object and when he came up from the cabin he did not see Ms Hellman, the vessel was taking on water, he deployed a life raft, abandoned ship and with a satellite phone called a friend in Australia to alert the US Coast Guard, prosecutors allege.