MIAMI (WSVN) - A real estate developer has bonded out of jail after he surrendered himself to authorities, years after his alleged involvement in a deadly boat crash.
More than two years after 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez died, and 19-year-old Katerina Puig was left permanently disabled by the crash, the driver of the boat they were on, George Pino, arrived at court for his arraignment on Thursday morning.
Pino walked into a downtown Miami courthouse hand-in-hand with his wife and daughter. Also alongside him were his legal team and other family members.
7News spoke with Pino’s attorney, Howard Schrebnick, as they entered the building.
“George will be processed, and then he will be released. He’s already pled not guilty,” said Schrebnick. “He’s been arraigned, and the trial will be set for sometime next year.”
In a packed courtroom filled with his family and friends, an emotional Pino thanked them for their support before he faced the judge.
During the arraignment, Pino’s niece, Sofia Castellanos, made a statement on behalf of the family.
“For reasons we cannot fully comprehend, on our way back, we accidentally hit a channel marker, which resulted in the tragic loss of Lucy Fernandez and debilitating injuries to Kathy Puig, two amazing girls who we adore and whom we have shared many memories,” she said. “From that moment, we have been racked with despair and grief and living a nightmare we could never have imagined. Worse than this though, is knowing that our anguish does not compare to the pain and suffering experienced by the impacted families.”
She added, “If we can give up our lives to bring Lucy back, or change what happened that day, we would do so in an instant.”
It’s a long time coming for the families whose lives were forever changed.
In 2022, Pino, a prominent real estate figure, took a group of teens out on a boat to celebrate his daughter’s 18th birthday.
What started as a celebration ended in tragedy when they hit a concrete channel marker and were all ejected from the boat on impact.
“It was a wonderfully gathering filled with laughter and happiness. Similar to many other tie-ups we’ve done with members of the same group over the years,” said Castellanos.
Originally, Pino said, he was trying to avoid the wake of a larger boat, which is explained to officers on body cameras.
“And the wheel, I guess, when I hit one of the waves, the wheel turned a little, and I lost control, and I think I turned,” said Pino.
Although there were half-gone bottles of liquor and over 60 cans of booze found on the boat, officers reported that Pino was not impaired, though he did not consent to a blood alcohol test.
“I’d like to ask permission to draw your blood. It’s up to you completely,” said a police officer.
“No, I had two beers,” said Pino.
At first, Pino was only charged with two counts of careless operation of a vessel causing death and serious bodily injury, which are second-degree misdemeanors.
Now, prosecutors have re-evaluated the case and filed an upgraded charge after a new crucial witness came forward claiming Pino was impaired.
“There was no crime committed here,” said Schrebnick. “It is my great hope that we will never have to go to trial, and the state attorney will recognize this for what it was and will dismiss the case.”
Though the families of Fernandez and Puig did not want to speak after the hearing, Fernandez’s attorney spoke with 7News a few weeks ago, when the charges were first upgraded.
“Normally in criminal cases, they don’t get better in time. This we believe is the exception to that because with the passage of time, more witnesses began to come forward who had information which proves that this was a reckless act, rather than a careless act,” said Joel Denaro, the attorney representing the Fernandez family.
The prosecutor on this case said she does not plan to seek bond, meaning once Pino is processed, he will be free to go back home, pending trial.
Pino surrendered to felony homicide charges at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade, Thursday afternoon.
He spent roughly four hours in jail but has since bonded out.
7News cameras captured Pino walking out of TGK and into his wife’s SUV. He avoided questions about his upgraded charges.
Pino is scheduled to appear back in court on Jan. 8.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.