{"id":289961,"date":"2026-05-30T10:17:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/289961\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T10:17:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:17:31","slug":"judge-denies-bid-to-dismiss-george-pinos-boat-crash-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/289961\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge denies bid to dismiss George Pino\u2019s boat-crash case"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Defendant<\/p>\n

George Pino reacts during a motion hearing at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

Pedro Portal<\/p>\n

pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

The investigation into 2022 boat crash that killed a high school student<\/p>\n

\n On Sept. 4, 2022, a boat operated by real estate broker George Pino crashed in Biscayne Bay, killing 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez.\n <\/p>\n

Expand All<\/p>\n

The trial of Doral real estate broker George Pino \u2014 who crashed his boat into a channel marker, killing a teen girl in 2022 \u2014 will move forward after a Miami-Dade judge on Thursday denied Pino\u2019s bid to dismiss the case.<\/p>\n

Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez said Pino\u2019s trial will begin with jury selection on Monday afternoon. Pino, 54, is charged with manslaughter and vessel homicide in connection to the Sept. 4, 2022, crash, which killed 17-year-old Luciana \u201cLucy\u201d Fernandez and left Katerina \u201cKaty\u201d Puig, now 21, with a lifetime of physical disabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this point, I think there are issues for the jury in deciding credibility … and applying the law as it exists to determine whether or not Mr. Pino\u2019s conduct in this case rose to … recklessness,\u201d Tinkler Mendez said after issuing her ruling.<\/p>\n

\"Judge Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez addresses the lawyers during George Pino’s motion hearing at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

The judge\u2019s decision came on the second day of a hearing during which she heard several 11th-hour motions to exclude key evidence from Pino\u2019s upcoming trial.<\/p>\n

Judge issues first round of rulings<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the judge ruled to allow jurors to view and inspect the boat, which is stored at the FWC\u2019s headquarters. Prosecutor Laura Adams argued that jurors should see the vessel in person so they could appreciate its size when they consider how Pino operated the boat leading up to the crash.<\/p>\n

The judge also said prosecutors can show the jury a limited amount of photos from Lucy\u2019s autopsy when someone from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner\u2019s Office testifies about Lucy\u2019s death. The judge granted the defense\u2019s request to shield jurors from seeing body camera footage of first responders performing life-saving measures on Lucy.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Attorneys spar over George Pino boat crash as defense seeks to dismiss case<\/a><\/p>\n

Judge Tinkler Mendez said she will limit the extent to which prosecutors can mention the two other girls who were injured in the crash: Puig, who is still regaining basic motor skills, and Isabella Rodriguez, who suffered a brain bleed but has recovered.<\/p>\n

\"Katerina Katerina \u2018Katy\u2019 Puig holds an Our Lady of Lourdes Academy senior-year portrait at her home in Miami on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Puig is still recovering from catastrophic injuries. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

During the hearing, attorney Jeanelle Gomez argued that mentioning the girls\u2019 injuries would inflame the jury. Adams, however, said the girls\u2019 injuries were relevant because they relate to Pino\u2019s reckless conduct \u2014 and the risk that someone was going to die or be hurt.<\/p>\n

\"The The Florida Legislature on May 2, 2025, passed Lucy\u2019s Law, a bill to boost penalties in boat crashes with serious injuries. The bill was named after Luciana \u2018Lucy\u2019 Fernandez, who died on Sept. 5, 2022, the day after George Pino crashed his boat into a concrete channel marker in Biscayne Bay. The Fernandez family <\/p>\n

The judge also denied Pino\u2019s bid to move the trial to Palm Beach or Orlando because of the amount of media coverage that the case has received. However, Tinkler Mendez said she will revisit the defense\u2019s ask if there are issues selecting a jury.<\/p>\n

Could alcohol-related evidence be tossed?<\/p>\n

In court, Gomez said references to the 61 empty or partially empty bottles and cans of alcohol found on Pino\u2019s boat can lead to \u201can improper inference of guilt.\u201d She also said any evidence that the girls were drinking on the day of the crash should also be kept out of the trial. In a deposition, one of the 12 girls on the boat said \u201ceveryone was drinking a lot\u201d and throwing away the containers on Pino\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Pino putting a cooler of alcohol on a boat does not equal Mr. Pino handing a beer to a minor,\u201d Gomez argued, adding that jurors would unfairly judge Pino for his parenting decisions.<\/p>\n

Adams argued that the alcohol on the boat was a factor that the jury should be able to consider because Pino had a \u201cheightened level\u201d of responsibility because there were intoxicated minors on his boat. Several girls on the boat testified that the Pinos gave them alcoholic drinks, according to the prosecutor.<\/p>\n

\"Defense Defense attorney Jeanelle G\u00f3mez, right, representing George Pino, and Miami-Dade State Attorney\u2019s Office Prosecutor Laura Adams address Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez during the second day of a motion hearing at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami on Thursday, May 28, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s consistent with that was going on at the sandbar, which is the precursor to this fatal crash,\u201d Adams said. \u201cThis was the functional equivalent of a candy bowl. Having a cooler full of alcohol the girls could access. …You cannot splice out that alcohol was a huge factor in what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge did not rule on the requests during the hearing.<\/p>\n

\"Empty Empty beer and other alcoholic beverage bottles and cans are lined up behind the cockpit of George Pino\u2019s 29-foot Robalo boat on Sept. 5, 2022, the day after the crash. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission <\/p>\n

The defense was also seeking to stop prosecutors from introducing testimony that Pino had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol after the crash. Adams said she was not going to call any witnesses who would testify that Pino exhibited signs of being impaired.<\/p>\n

In a deposition, FWC Officer Julien Gazzola said Pino smelled of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and appeared to be disoriented and have a \u201cflustered demeanor.\u201d Firefighter Matthew Smiley testified in his deposition that he smelled \u201calcohol on [Pino\u2019s] breath when he talked to me\u201d and that Pino\u2019s eyes were a \u201clittle bloodshot.\u201d However, Smiley testified that Pino\u2019s eyes might have been bloodshot for other reasons, including that he might have gotten saltwater in his eyes.<\/p>\n

Adams\u2019 statement during the hearing indicates she does not plan on calling Gazzola or Smiley to the stand.<\/p>\n

Pino\u2019s statements to FWC investigator<\/p>\n

The defense argued that Pino\u2019s statements to the lead FWC investigator, Lt. William Thompson, about another boat coming at him and throwing a wake, causing him to crash, should be off-limits during the trial. Pino repeated that account since the night of the crash.<\/p>\n

Pino\u2019s lawyers now say Pino should have been read his rights before he was questioned by Thompson. And, they are also now claiming Pino suffered a head injury that day and that it might have caused him to remember events incorrectly.<\/p>\n

Adams, however, said Pino first told Thompson about the other boat being the cause of the crash without being prompted by the officer.<\/p>\n

When Pino arrived at Elliott Key, where first responders took him and the passengers after the crash, Thompson asked Pino if the 29-foot Robalo vessel was his. Thompson did not ask what led to the crash. But, in response to that question, Pino began telling Thompson about the other boat being the reason he crashed, the officer testified.<\/p>\n

Adams also brought up sworn written statements that Pino and his wife gave attorneys during proceedings in a civil lawsuit brought by Puig\u2019s parents. In those statements, the Pinos say the other boat was the cause of the crash. Pino\u2019s lawyers also want those statements thrown out.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Cecilia Pino testified that she and her husband made the statements without the influence of Thompson or their attorney. But, she also said she did not see what happened right before her husband crashed.<\/p>\n

Adams asked Cecilia Pino if she was drinking the day of the crash, and she replied that she was. She said she didn\u2019t know whether her husband was drinking.<\/p>\n

At the hearing, Thompson testified that Pino was the subject of the crash investigation from the beginning because he was the operator of the vessel. The investigator said that at the time Pino was questioned, he was not considered a suspect in a criminal investigation.<\/p>\n

Pino\u2019s attorneys argued otherwise, saying he was not free to leave Elliott Key while Thompson questioned him.<\/p>\n

\"Miami Prosecutor Laura Adams questions FWC Lt. William Thompson during a motion hearing in the George Pino case in the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

Adams countered that Pino was not able to leave only because he was on an island waiting to be taken to Black Point Marina while Thompson gathered information about the crash. And Pino was not the only person on Elliott Key; several of the girls on his boat were also there, waiting to be taken back to the mainland.<\/p>\n

The defense is also seeking to keep out a written statement that Pino gave to Thompson that night, again stating another boat caused him to crash into the channel marker.<\/p>\n

Tinkler Mendez is expected to rule on the statements Monday morning.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 7:59 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Grethel Aguila<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

David Goodhue<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

David Goodhue covers the Florida Keys and South Florida for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald. Before joining the Herald, he covered Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware.\u00a0\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"George Pino reacts during a motion hearing at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building in Miami on Wednesday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-289961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}