MIAMI (WSVN) — The criminal trial of prominent real estate developer George Pino has now entered its ninth day.
Closing arguments could potentially take place Thursday afternoon, and jury instructions are set to be handed down near 1:30 p.m.
Pino’s defense rested its case on Wednesday as state prosecutors once again questioned Lucy Fernandez’s father, Andy, as a rebuttal witness.
“Did you have any plans to go out to the sandbar on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022?” said prosecutor Laura Adams.
“No,” said Andy.
“But you did?” said Adams.
“But I did,” said Andy.
“And why did you go?” said Adams.
“Because Lucy asked me to go,” said Andy.
Defense attorneys also got their chance to cross-examine Andy.
“Did you send a text to Mr. Pino that said, ‘Billy’s on Sunday?’” said an attorney.
“Correct,” said Andy.
Seventeen-year-old Lucy Fernandez did not survive the deadly 2022 boating crash when Pino crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key.
That crash also left Kathy Puig with permanent injuries.
Puig’s father, Rudy, testified about how the tragedy changed her life forever.
“Is your daughter in the same condition now than she was when she went to Ocean Reef Club?” asked Adams.
“No, she’s not,” said Rudy. “She was an incredible athlete.”
Pino ultimately decided to not take the stand to testify in his own defense when given the chance, but another survivor of the 2022 boating crash took the stand for a second time.
After reviewing body camera video from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the survivor testified she saw Pino immediately after the crash.
Pino’s defense team continued to argue the crash was a tragic accident, claiming high tide obstructed his view of the channel marker.
Multiple witnesses testified that Pino was not impaired at the time of the crash.
Dr. Diana Barratt, a neurologist called by the defense, testified that Pino suffered from amnesia, which could have caused him to make false statements after the crash.
However, prosecutors pushed back against that narrative.
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