George Pino listens as lead prosecutor Laura Adams delivers the state’s closing argument Monday, June 22, 2026, in Courtroom 4-1 at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Adams urged the jury to find George Pino guilty of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges linked to boat crash that killed Lucy Fernandez.
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The investigation into 2022 boat crash that killed a high school student
On Sept. 4, 2022, a boat operated by real estate broker George Pino crashed in Biscayne Bay, killing 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez.
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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.
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.
Lucy Fernandez The Fernandez family
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 and rushed out of the courtroom once jurors were excused. Pino gestured a “thank you” to jurors and then hugged his friends and family while sobbing.
In a statement after the verdict, defense attorney Howard Srebnick said he was grateful that jurors carefully considered the evidence to reach a just verdict.
“From the beginning, we have maintained that the events of September 4, 2022, were a tragic accident, not a crime,” Srebnick said. “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.”
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.”
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?
During closing arguments, prosecutor Laura Adams said Pino operated the boat recklessly when he sped through the Cutter Bank channel. 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.
Lead prosecutor Laura Adams holds a photo of Lucy Fernandez recreating the testimony by Pino’s wife as she delivered her closing arguments on Monday, June 22, 2026 in Courtroom 4-1 at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Adams urged the jury to find George Pino guilty of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges linked to boat crash that killed Lucy Fernandez. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald
“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.
Defense attorney Howard Srebnick delivers his closing arguments on Monday, June 22, 2026, in Courtroom 4-1 at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami, Florida. Srebnick urged the jury to find George Pino not guilty of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges linked to boat crash that killed Lucy Fernandez. Adams urged the jury to find George Pino guilty of manslaughter and vessel homicide charges linked to boat crash that killed Lucy Fernandez. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald
“He may have committed human error… but that does not make him a criminal,” Srebnick said.
The trial was one of the most anticipated in recent years due to Pino’s prominence in South Florida and because the investigation was controversial from the start.
This report will be updated
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 6:51 PM.
Grethel Aguila
Miami Herald
Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.
