Jury finds George Pino not guilty on vessel homicide and manslaughter charges

A jury on Monday night found Doral real estate broker George Pino not guilty of felony charges stemming from a boat crash that killed a teen girl.

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Pino, 54, cried when the verdict was read. The jury, made up of five men and one woman, found Pino not guilty of charges of manslaughter and vessel homicide in the Sept. 4, 2022, boat crash in Biscayne Bay. Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez, 17, was killed, and Katerina “Katy” Puig, now 21, another passenger, was left with physical and neurological disabilities.

The jury deliberated for more than an hour. Pino’s supporters sighed and sniffled when the verdict was announced. Loved ones of Lucy were stoic and quiet.

Pino was taking his wife, Cecilia, their daughter and 11 of his daughter’s friends back to the Ocean Reef Club in north Key Largo that night from an afternoon outing on Elliott Key. The outing was to celebrate the daughter’s 18th birthday. There was a dinner planned at Ocean Reef at 9 p.m.

READ MORE: Jury deliberates: Was fatal boat crash just an accident — or was Pino reckless?

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During closing arguments, prosecutor Laura Adams said Pino operated the boat recklessly when he sped through the Cutter Bank channe. He operated his 29-foot Robalo on the wrong side of the channel, and ultimately rammed into the steel marker.

The boat capsized and the 14 passengers were hurtled into the bay.

“This isn’t blowing a stop sign,” Adams told the jury during closing arguments Monday morning in Pino’s trial. “This is blowing into the stop sign while on the wrong sign of the road when you’ve been drinking.”

Defense attorney Howard Srebnick, however, argued that the crash was a tragic accident — and does not amount to a crime.

“He may have committed human error… but that does not make him a criminal,” Srebnick said.

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This report will be updated