Her Husband Walks…for Now – Loose Cannon
Cruisers Net publishes Loose Cannon articles with Captain Swanson’s permission in hopes that mariners with saltwater in their veins will subscribe. $7 per month or $56 for the year; you may cancel at any time.
When all else fails, try journalism.
The husband whose wife disappeared during a dinghy ride has been released from Bahamian custody without charges being filed against him. Brian Hooker, 59, may be guilty of poor judgement or worse, but his choice of local lawyers appears to have paid off. Attorney Terrel Butler said police questioning suggested they were trying to obtain evidence that Hooker had murdered his wife Lynette, 55, on Saturday, April 4. Hooker told police she fell out of the dinghy after they left the Abaco Inn on Elbow Cay and were enroute back to their Morgan sailboat Soulmate, anchored about two miles away down by Lubbers Cay. Winds were blusterly, the water was choppy and, according to her husband, Lynnette somehow took the magnetic shut-off device for the motor when she went overboard. A magistrate approved Hooker’s detention for 96-hours—the maximum for someone not charged—to give police time to gather evidence and question their suspect. Why, for example, did it take 8 1/2 for the engineless dinghy to reach Marsh Harbor, 4 miles dead downwind?
Butler said her client underwent intense questioning Friday and earlier today, but never wavered in his insistence that what happened was a terrible accident, not a murder. “I am happy to see justice, that justice is really working in this country. They had no choice but to release him,” she said. Hooker can be re-arrested if police find evidence of a crime in the future—for example, if Lynette’s body were found and yielded incriminating information.
Brian Hooker got little support from social media, where many commenters voiced their certainty that he was a killer, particularly after stories about their rocky marriage were published in the subsequent media frenzy. Lynnette Hooker’s daughter voiced her own doubts about her stepfather’s account of events. Some of the coverage being amplified by social media was completely false, a phenomenon that many of us have not gotten used to. CNN and the tabloid New York Post had solid coverage but one of the best stories was published by Fox News, which included this map as its reporter traced the dinghy’s route that night:
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid.
You’re currently a free subscriber to LOOSE CANNON. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2026
|
Be the first to comment!