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Miami real estate developer George Pino was found not guilty in connection with a boat crash off Boca Chita Key in Biscayne Bay in September 2022 that killed one teenager and left another with permanent disabilities.
The verdict was handed down on Monday acquitting Pino, 55, who was charged with second-degree manslaughter and vessel homicide for the crash that killed 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez and left another teen, Katy Puig, now 21, with life-changing injuries, according to NBC 6.
The verdict comes after an emotional eight days of testimony in South Florida.
During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Pino was reckless when he crashed his boat into a channel marker during Labor Day weekend in 2022, while the defense maintained that the collision was an accident.
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"We are grateful to the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence and for reaching a just verdict," lead defense attorney Howard Srebnick said in a statement after the verdict, according to the outlet. "From the beginning, we have maintained that the events of September 4, 2022, were a tragic accident, not a crime. The testimony presented at trial-including unrebutted accounts from eyewitnesses who saw no signs of impairment-confirmed that 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."
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, who prosecuted the case, said she was disappointed with the verdict but accepts the jury's decision.
"While everyone in our community and beyond recognizes the tragedy surrounding the Labor Day 2022 boating death of Lucy Fernandez and the permanent disabling of Katy Puig, my prosecutors and I have believed that the totality of George Pino's actions on the waters of Biscayne Bay were reckless and constituted a crime as defined by Florida's criminal statutes," she said in a statement.
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"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. In a case like this, there are no winners or losers," she added. "Mr. Pino must live with what he did, while the Fernandez and Puig families will grapple with the consequences of his actions."
On Sept. 4, 2022, Pino and his wife hosted a birthday celebration for their daughter on their boat.
Investigators said Pino was operating the family's 29-foot boat as it returned to the dock when it hit a channel marker near Boca Chita Key. Pino told investigators that another boat had passed by and created a large wake. He said he turned to check on the teenagers after the wake, which caused him to collide with the marker.
The impact of the crash caused everyone on board to fall overboard and into the water. The crash also resulted in a large hole in the side of the vessel.
Eleven of the 14 passengers were injured, including six who were transported to a hospital. Fernandez later died from her injuries and Puig suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with a lifetime of disabilities.
