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jimbunyard · 08-11-2018, 03:03

Well since we're all arm-chair prosecuting (if not arm-chair convicting), given (from the rather biased 'news report')

"On Monday, the 41-year-old Bennett, who is a dual citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of his wife. The plea deal was struck after prosecutors originally sought a second-degree murder charge against Bennett, who was set to go to trial in December."

and they never found his wife, I'd say she's waiting for him somewhere with all the money they made from the drugs that were transferred off just before they scuttled their boat. Eight years isn't too long, and think of all those diapers you won't have to change.

Rather clever of them to sow a record of 'marital discord' and inexperience to throw off the authorities. Heck, I bet they even ferried back some information to either obfuscate or promote the Trumpsters underworld Russian ties...

**hpeer** · 08-11-2018, 03:13

Not that any of this is relevant to this particular incident. Sounds to me like they had the goods on this guy.

There was a lady singer, cruiser, who made a few CDs about cruising life.

One was called “Oops goes the Captain.”

Funny, and oh so accurate. Not that we push one another overboard, but that the though can occur.

I know from personal experience with my first wife, that if tormentented sufficiently a person can commit “acts of passion.” I never did, but only months later realized how hair breadth close I came to putting her out of my misery. At the instant I had no idea, and it took some hard reflection to see it.

But I didn’t and a miss is a good as a mile. But I can have some compassion for folks in abusive circumstances.

**a64pilot** · 08-11-2018, 12:44

I’ve heard a few times of the story of the Wife being fished out of the water, alive but very mad half way back from the Bahamas by another boat.
Maybe an urban legend, maybe not?

gamayun · 08-11-2018, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I’ve heard a few times of the story of the Wife being fished out of the water, alive but very mad half way back from the Bahamas by another boat.
Maybe an urban legend, maybe not?

I once almost lost my husband in the Gulf of Mexico. He was spear fishing with a buddy, I was sleeping, the buddy's wife was pole fishing with my son. It was a new boat and we didn't have the anchor alarm set up yet, which is what we had on our old boat. Winds had been steady and when I woke up (I nap almost always exactly for one hour), I asked where the guys were. I dunno, haven't seen them yet was the answer. I wrote down the GPS coordinates and asked her to go on the bow and start scanning with binoculars, which was when I heard a faint sound like a gull a mile away. My ex said he was never more relieved when he saw us pulling the anchor line and heading his way. He had ditched his gear and a stringer of fish with the buddy and had been swimming hard for about 20 minutes. He said the boat had been a speck on the horizon when they had surfaced. In the two years I've been in my current marina, one guy was found drowned and a woman was fished out another time late one night. Luckily someone had heard her yell. The rest of us who were there that night, never heard a thing. If this thread is to relate the stories about other people's misfortunes, we might want to also reflect how quickly things can go south in our own lives through simply our inattention at a critical time....

belizesailor · 08-11-2018, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I’ve heard a few times of the story of the Wife being fished out of the water, alive but very mad half way back from the Bahamas by another boat.
Maybe an urban legend, maybe not?

Nope. I was aboard a boat sailing from Miami area to Bimini when such an even occurred.

This was ages ago in the 90s. It was a bit rough out, at night, crossing the Stream. We heard an MOB/Mayday call, but were too far away to assist. Wife over board. To our surprise the calling vessel did not search very long and continued on to Bimini. In Bimini he cleared to return the very next day...we thought that was odd...not sticking around to mount a search. In the very early AM a fishing vessel came up on the radio and said they had found the wife in question bobbing along in the Stream...she was wet and tired, but otherwise OK...and had some rather pointed questions for hubby! Im guessing it didnt end well for him, but dont know the rest of the story.

DenverSailors · 08-11-2018, 13:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I disagree, he was stupid, way stupid.
If he had done whatever he did to her, but kept going for three days, and then claimed she fell overboard, Mayday call. Turn around, alert the world by whatever means, not try to sink the boat etc., then they would have nothing.

I don’t think it was premeditated, my guess is he did whatever he did out of rage, then had no plan, just acted on whatever he thought of, and it wasn’t planned, or if planned, he is a very stupid person.

What don’t they have the boat?

I think there was a murder scene on the boat that he had to get rid of, that is why he “Sunk” the boat

How many times have you thought this through?!?! Hahaha!

**JPA Cate** · 08-11-2018, 13:50

Hello, DenverSailors,

Perhaps you'd care to state what you mean by that question? and the "Hahaha!"? Maybe I'm just dense this morning, but what are you getting at?

Ann

**a64pilot** · 08-11-2018, 14:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverSailors

How many times have you thought this through?!?! Hahaha!

Not seriously of course.
However you hear stories that are of course real, by that I mean waking up to find your Wife or Husband just gone missing, no foul play, very real tragedy, horrible thought.
That is what made me buy AIS SART beacons for us both, PLB of course calls the Cav, but with an AIS beacon, it ought to wake me up and me turn around and get her, a lot faster than the Cav could.

Anyway reading of these stories makes one think that frankly just how easy it would be, if that were your goal.

I think in this case, something violent happened that was unplanned and left significant evidence, so he had to get rid of the boat, and it was so poorly executed that if it was planned, then he was stupid.

I’d bet the money was hers and that she had found out things about him, and was planning on canning him.
My guess is the stolen coins were some kind of con he was running, and she wasn’t involved.

How’s that for open speculation, based on zero knowledge or facts

That is all that is, just pure speculation, I know nothing at all about it.
My guess is though that there is little to no evidence, and that he will serve little if any time.

**a64pilot** · 08-11-2018, 14:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, DenverSailors,

Perhaps you'd care to state what you mean by that question? and the "Hahaha!"? Maybe I'm just dense this morning, but what are you getting at?

Ann

Ann, I took it as a joke, I’m sure that is what it was meant to be.

Thalas · 08-11-2018, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Whoosh

I don’t get it?

A joke in poor taste. You offered a "better" way to kill someone, dispose of the body and not get caught. I was equal parts impressed and mock scared.

It is a different life on the water and it's always interesting to be with new sailors when they discover it. The rules of civilization exist miles away and the buffer from danger that we experience in day to day life is much smaller. Obviously, murder is very rare, but when I first mention wearing PFDs and ALWAYS being tethered when alone on deck to newer sailors or guests, often the tone of their "I got it" changes when I take the time to explain that small mistakes at sea can result in "sorry, i **@&ed up" or they can result in death in an instant. Then they really seem to get it.

DenverSailors · 08-11-2018, 14:29

Ann, a64pilot states, “If he had done whatever he did to her, but kept going for three days, and then claimed she fell overboard, Mayday call. Turn around, alert the world by whatever means, not try to sink the boat etc., then they would have nothing.” I replied with a tongue-in-cheek question about his detailed plan in the same way Henny Youngman use to say, “Take my wife...please.”.That is all. The “Hahaha” was to ensure it was read in the intended tone. Evidently it was not.