COURTROOM STUNNED AS MILLIONAIRE BOAT OWNER WALKS FREE AFTER TEEN’S D3ATH
Millionaire Florida developer found NOT GUILTY in trial over horror boat crash that killed teenage girl
A millionaire Florida property developer has been found not guilty over the horrific boat crash that killed a teenage girl and left another permanently disabled after a birthday party on Biscayne Bay descended into catastrophe.
George Pino, 55, was acquitted on manslaughter and vessel homicide charges on Monday evening following eight emotionally charged days of testimony in Miami-Dade County.
As the verdict was read aloud in court, Pino appeared to break down in tears while sitting in his chair.
He could be seen clenching his teeth as a murmur broke out around the courtroom with the court staff forced to order the public gallery to be quiet.
There were raw emotions on both sides. Those in the gallery who were there to support Pino could all be seen breathing a huge sigh of relief with family members shaking hands and patting one another on the back.
As Pino’s family got up to leave, the group hugged one another with audible sobs coming from his nearest and dearest.
Across the courtroom, the victims’ families looked crestfallen as they learned Pino would not face any punishment over the incident. Some could be seen wiping away tears, many with a look of disbelief on their faces.
Pino could be seen hyperventilating as the weight of the the trial and mental anguish appeared to be released. He then mouthed ‘thank you’ at the jury before they were discharged by the judge
The verdict brings an end to the criminal case over the September 4, 2022 crash near Boca Chita Key, when Pino’s 29-foot family boat smashed into a channel marker while carrying his wife, daughter and a group of teenage girls celebrating Carolina Pino’s 18th birthday.
Lucy Fernandez, 17, was killed. Her friend Katy Puig, then also 17, suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been left with permanent disabilities.
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George Pino, 55, has been found not guilty over the horrific boat crash that killed a teenage girl and left another permanently disabled
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Pino could be seen clenching his teeth and looking down at the table in the courtroom as the not guilty verdict was announced allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief
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Lucy Fernandez died in the crash in September 2022
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The impact hurled the people on board into the water and punched a huge hole into the side of the vessel. He had been speeding around 50mph at the time of the accident
But after hearing from survivors, first responders, medical specialists, boating experts and members of the victims’ families, the six-person jury returned not-guilty verdicts.
Pino did not take the stand in his own defense.
In a statement after the verdict, Pino’s lead attorney Howard Srebnick said the developer had maintained from the outset that the crash was a devastating accident rather than a crime.
‘We are grateful to the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence and for reaching a just verdict,’ Srebnick said.
‘From the beginning, we have maintained that the events of September 4, 2022, were a tragic accident, not a crime.’
Srebnick said testimony at trial had included what he called ‘unrebutted accounts from eyewitnesses who saw no signs of impairment.’
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Fernandez is seen here with her back to the camera as she danced to Uptown Girl on the boat
Pino, seen in court on Monday, was acquitted of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges relating to the incident. He shed tears of relief following the verdict. He later turned to the jury to thank them, right,
He added: ‘Mr. Pino was not under the influence, was not operating the vessel recklessly, and that he did everything he could to protect his passengers after the accident.
‘We continue to mourn the loss of Lucy Fernandez every day and to pray for all those affected by this maritime mishap. Our hearts remain with the families of those involved, and we hope today’s verdict allows everyone to continue the long process of healing.’
The attorney said Pino’s side continued to mourn Lucy’s death.
‘We continue to mourn the loss of Lucy Fernandez every day and to pray for all those affected by this maritime mishap,’ Srebnick said.
‘Our hearts remain with the families of those involved, and we hope today’s verdict allows everyone to continue the long process of healing.’
After the verdict. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement that her office decided to charge Pino with a felony after determining that there was sufficient evidence that Pino’s actions were reckless, although the jury ultimately disagreed.
‘Sadly, I know that this verdict brings no comfort to the Fernandez and Puig families who forever must live with the tragedy of what happened,’ Fernandez Rundle said.
‘In a case like this, there are no winners or losers. Mr. Pino must live with what he did, while the Fernandez and Puig families will grapple with the consequences of his actions.’
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Pino was embraced by family members following his acquittal in the courtroom. Audible sobs could be heard
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Katerina Puig, pictured here, survived the crash but was left with severe, lifelong disabilities
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The footage was shown to the Florida courtroom on Monday who delivered a not guilty verdict
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Fernandez’s official cause of death was put down as drowning but she also suffered blunt force trauma from the impact, a medical examiner ruled
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The father of Lucy Fernandez, Andreas, looked across the courtroom at Pino in disbelief following the verdict. He had been friends with Georgie Pino for decades before the accident
The trial laid bare the final moments of a party that began with music, dancing and teenage friends enjoying a day on the water.
Jurors were shown heartbreaking footage of Lucy dancing in a bikini with friends to Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl during the celebration for Carolina Pino.
Hours later, the boat would be torn open after striking the channel marker.
Investigators said Pino was at the helm as the boat headed back toward the dock. He told authorities another vessel had produced a large wake, and that he turned to check on the girls before the boat collided with the marker.
The impact hurled the people on board into the water and punched a huge hole into the side of the vessel.
Eleven of the 14 people on board were injured, according to investigators, while six were taken to hospital.
Lucy later died from her injuries.
Katy Puig survived, but suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with lifelong disabilities.
The prosecution centered much of its case on Pino’s alleged alcohol consumption and his handling of the boat that evening.
Prosecutor Laura Adams showed jurors the video of Lucy and the other girls dancing before the crash, arguing it demonstrated the atmosphere aboard the vessel before it set off toward the channel.
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Prosecutors showed evidence of the boat damage
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Pino was driving this 29-foot Robalo boat when he crashed into a steel channel marker, which threw everyone on board into the water
‘With a boat full of buzzed, if not drunk teenagers, this man decides to set a course to that channel,’ Adams told the court.
‘A channel where he knows where the markers are. He was going full throttle with all these teenagers onboard who had been consuming alcohol.’
Adams said the defense’s position was that Pino had consumed only two beers.
‘The defendant for sure consumed alcohol. The defense would have you believe that it was only two beers,’ she said.
‘The evidence suggests that just as he wasn’t truthful about how the crash happened, maybe he wasn’t also truthful about how much alcohol he consumed.’
She accused Pino of being ‘too wrapped up in trying to be the cool dad on the fast boat.’
Pino told investigators after the crash that he had consumed ‘two beers,’ according to the Miami Herald. He was not given a sobriety test, and the newspaper reported that he did not appear impaired at the scene.
When the boat was recovered the following day, investigators found 61 empty alcohol bottles aboard, including an empty champagne bottle, the Miami Herald reported.
The defense argued that the state had failed to establish that Pino had acted recklessly.
Srebnick pointed to witnesses who said they did not believe Pino appeared impaired and argued that inconsistencies in Pino’s account could be explained by injuries he suffered in the crash.
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This image provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue shows agents at the scene of the boat crash
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Pino had been facing up to 30 years in prison on charges of manslaughter and vessel homicide
One of the survivors, Claudia Portocarrero, now 21, told jurors she did not believe Pino was drunk and said she did not remember him speeding excessively.
She described the crash as a sudden ‘flash of white.’
‘I just remember opening my eyes after the impact and seeing like a lot of white,’ Portocarrero said.
She said her first sight after regaining awareness was Pino covered in blood.
‘And the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was George, and I thought he was dead. I just saw a lot of blood gushing and then my friends were telling me that I had to get out of the boat,’ she told the court.
‘By the time I was going to get off the boat it was kind of almost like turned, flipped, so instead of jumping from the boat, I practically stepped into the water because of how tilted it was.’
Portocarrero said she and the other girls had been drinking, but said she did not recall seeing Pino drink alcohol or drive at an excessive speed.
The proceedings were marked by grief, confrontation and repeated dramatic interruptions.
Pino became visibly distressed during opening statements, prompting the judge to briefly recess the court and order a medical evaluation after he began breathing heavily.
Paramedics later assessed him inside the courtroom.
He was again seen breaking down as Lucy’s father, Andres Fernandez, gave emotional testimony about the night his daughter died.
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At the start of Pino’s trial during opening statements, proceedings were halted by the judge and the jury was dismissed for the day when he suffered an emotional breakdown
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Pino was a well known real estate developer in the Doral, Florida area at the time of the crash
Fernandez told the court that he had known Pino for years and that their daughters had grown up together.
He recalled racing to the scene after learning of the crash and searching for hours before Lucy was eventually found.
The grieving father said he attempted to remove fiberglass from his daughter’s head but was stopped by an officer because it was evidence in the case.
He then turned to his wife and said: ‘Our daughter is now evidence.’
There were also tense exchanges away from the jury.
After jurors were dismissed for a weekend during the first week of the trial, Adams confronted Pino in the courtroom and accused him of muttering, ‘it happens, it happens.’
She warned that the jury could have overheard him. Pino denied making the remark.
The case had also faced an early issue during jury selection, when a potential juror who had already been questioned was seen outside court playing a news report aloud on her phone.
The incident revived defense concerns about widespread coverage of the crash and whether Pino could receive an impartial hearing in Miami-Dade.
The woman was ultimately allowed to continue to the next stage of jury selection.
Jurors later left the courtroom to inspect the damaged boat at the center of the case before returning to deliberate.
After hearing evidence from grieving relatives, survivors, experts and first responders, the panel of five men and one woman cleared Pino of both charges.
SOURCE: Millionaire Florida developer found NOT GUILTY in trial over horror boat crash that killed teenage girl | Daily Mail Online