Overview
- A six-member Miami-Dade jury acquitted George Pino of second-degree manslaughter and vessel homicide after roughly two hours of deliberation on June 22, 2026.
- The charges arose from a Sept. 4, 2022, crash in Biscayne Bay when Pino's 29-foot boat struck a channel marker, killing 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez and leaving Katerina “Katy” Puig with permanent brain injuries.
- Prosecutors told jurors that technical reconstructions showed the boat moving at high speed—estimating about 47 mph—while they cited inattentiveness and roughly 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans found on the vessel.
- The defense countered that the collision was a tragic accident, presented eyewitness testimony saying Pino showed no signs of impairment and offered a concussion and disorientation theory to explain his actions.
- With the criminal case closed, prosecutors and families expressed disappointment and the outcome highlights questions about on-scene sobriety testing and boating safety that could shape future investigations and enforcement.