George Pino, a South Florida real estate broker and developer, is on trial in Miami-Dade County in connection with a 2022 Labor Day weekend boat crash that killed 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez and left Katerina “Katy” Puig with lasting physical and neurological injuries. Pino has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and vessel homicide charges.

The Crash

The case stems from a boating trip on September 4, 2022, in Biscayne Bay. Pino was operating a 29-foot Robalo center-console boat with 14 people on board, including teenagers who had been celebrating his daughter’s 18th birthday. While traveling near Boca Chita Key, the boat struck a fixed channel marker. The impact threw passengers into the water and capsized the vessel.

Lucy Fernandez, a 17-year-old student at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, was killed. Katy Puig, then 18, survived with severe injuries that have been described in recent coverage as permanent physical and neurological disabilities.

Early Investigation and Initial Charges

The investigation into the crash drew scrutiny because Pino was not given a sobriety test at the scene, despite later-publicized questions about alcohol on the boat and the handling of body camera footage. Reports citing investigative records said empty alcoholic bottles and cans were found on the vessel, but investigators initially did not charge Pino with a felony.

Pino was first charged with misdemeanor boating violations. Those charges later became part of the broader controversy over whether the crash investigation had been handled properly and whether key witnesses were interviewed early enough.

Felony Charges

In October 2024, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office reopened the case and charged Pino with vessel homicide, a second-degree felony. Prosecutors later added a manslaughter charge in August 2025 after sworn statements from several girls who had been on the boat.

Pino pleaded not guilty. As trial began, he was facing charges of manslaughter and vessel homicide tied to Lucy Fernandez’s death.

Prosecution Theory

The prosecution’s theory is that Pino’s conduct while operating the boat was criminally reckless and caused the crash that killed Lucy Fernandez. The state has focused on how the boat was being operated, the conditions leading up to the impact with the channel marker, alcohol-related evidence, and the accounts of witnesses who were on the vessel.

Prosecutors have also sought to use Pino’s statements after the crash. The judge ruled that those statements could be heard at trial, including statements connected to Pino’s explanation of what happened.

Defense Theory

The defense has challenged the state’s case on multiple fronts. Pino’s attorneys moved to dismiss the charges, sought to move the case out of Miami-Dade County because of pretrial publicity, and argued that statements Pino made after the crash should be excluded. The defense also raised issues related to Pino’s condition after the crash, including a possible brain injury and memory-related claims.

Pino’s account after the crash included the claim that another boat caused a wake and that he turned to check on passengers before the collision. The judge denied a defense request to keep jurors from hearing about that “other-boat” theory.

Key Pretrial Rulings

In late May 2026, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez denied defense efforts to dismiss the case and move it out of Miami-Dade County, allowing the trial to proceed locally.

The judge also allowed Pino’s post-crash statements to be used at trial. That ruling matters because the statements go directly to what Pino said happened in the moments leading up to the crash and how prosecutors and defense attorneys may frame his explanation for the collision.

Trial Setup

Jury selection began June 1, 2026, and a jury was seated on June 5. The seated panel consists of five men and one woman, with four alternates. Opening arguments were set for Monday, June 8, 2026, at 1 p.m. in Miami-Dade Circuit Court before Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez.

The trial is expected to center on whether the fatal crash was the result of criminally reckless boating or a tragic accident, and how jurors weigh the eyewitness accounts, Pino’s own statements, alcohol-related evidence, and the broader investigation.