![\"Damage](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Incident_Summary_Report+FWC22ON0078625_Redacted_2_1.jpg\" "\\"Damage")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Damage to the 29-foot Robalo piloted by George Pino, who crashed into a concrete channel marker in Biscayne Bay on Sept. 4, 2022. The crash led to the death of Luciana \u2018Lucy\u2019 Fernandez, a 17-year-old student at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, and severely injured her classmate, Katerina \u2018Katy\u2019 Puig.<\/p>\n
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission<\/p>\n
Less than two weeks before Doral real estate broker George Pino is set to stand trial in a Miami-Dade courthouse over his role in a boat crash that killed one teen and maimed another, he and his legal team are asking a judge to move the proceeding to Palm Beach County or Orlando.<\/p>\n
In a motion filed this month, Pino\u2019s legal team argues an \u201cimpartial jury\u201d of Pino\u2019s peers does not exist in Miami-Dade County because the case has been \u201cwell-publicized.\u201d His lawyers cited the Miami Herald\u2019s investigative coverage of the fatal crash, along with widespread television coverage. His trial is set to begin on June 1.<\/p>\n
In September 2022, Pino crashed his boat with 13 passengers aboard into a Biscayne Bay channel marker. Luciana \u201cLucy\u201d Fernandez, 17, was killed and Katerina \u201cKaty\u201d Puig, now 21, suffered brain injuries and lifelong disabilities.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: New witness leads to felony homicide charge 2 years after boat crash killed Lourdes girl<\/a><\/p>\n In their plea to Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez, Pino\u2019s lawyers alleged the Herald \u201cpublished multiple articles perpetuating an entirely false narrative of what took place on Sept. 4, 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n The Herald\u2019s \u201cWrecked Justice\u201d<\/a> series raised questions about authorities\u2019 handling of the crash investigation.<\/p>\n Prosecutors, who initially charged Pino with three careless-boating misdemeanors, later upped those charges to felony vessel homicide and manslaughter, though Pino can only be convicted on one or the other of those charges.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only has the coverage been one-sided, but it has also been pervasive: there have been hundreds of other articles by various news media, including the Herald, about the accident.\u201d<\/p>\n His legal team said it believes a trial in Palm Beach County or Orlando is necessary because media coverage has been \u201csignificantly lower\u201d there. A public-relations expert, hired and cited by Pino\u2019s lawyers in the motion, released findings that less than two dozen articles about the crash were published in those areas since the crash occurred and May 5, 2026.<\/p>\n Judge Tinkler Mendez has yet to rule on the motion.<\/p>\n