{"id":347401,"date":"2026-07-21T15:55:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/347401\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:55:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:55:21","slug":"tugboat-captain-in-biscayne-bay-barge-crash-that-killed-3-girls-changes-plea-to-guilty-on-manslaughter-charge-wsvn-7news-miami-news-weather-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/347401\/","title":{"rendered":"Tugboat captain in Biscayne Bay barge crash that killed 3 girls changes plea to guilty on manslaughter charge – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI (WSVN) – Nearly a year after a boat crash in Biscayne Bay took the lives of three girls from a sailing camp, a tugboat captain charged in the wreck changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.<\/p>\n

In a Miami courtroom Tuesday morning, Yusiel Lopez Insua broke down his plea after he officially entered his guilty plea on a seaman\u2019s manslaughter charge.<\/a><\/p>\n

The 46-year-old\u2019s court appearance on Tuesday morning took place a week before the one-year-anniversary of the crash involving a tugboat and a sailboat<\/a> off the coast of Hibiscus Island.<\/p>\n

During the hourlong hearing, the presiding judge made sure the defendant made sure he understood what he was agreeing to when he changed his plea. The defendant had pleaded not guilty back in April.<\/p>\n

Speaking with 7News outside the courthouse, Lopez Insua\u2019s attorney, Walter Reynoso, said his client was ready to take responsibility for what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find this deeply remorseful for his conduct. He feels awful. He feels awful about the unimaginable pain and loss suffered by the three families who lost their three very young daughters,\u201d said Reynoso. \u201cOur thoughts today remain with each of the [victims\u2019] families as they continue to endure this profound tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The devastating collision happened on July 28, 2025 as Lopez Insua was piloting a tugboat that was pushing a barge.<\/p>\n

At one point, authorities said, the barge struck a sailboat carrying a group of youth sailors from the Miami Yacht Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The impact killed 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle Mazi Buchman and 13-year-old Erin Ko. A counselor and two other sailors escaped.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors dropped a 16-page filing earlier this year. On one page, they said a deck house was a huge safety issue, hindering visibility.<\/p>\n

They also say Lopez Insua did not have a proper lookout, writing:<\/p>\n

\u201cInsua knew, or should have known, to maintain awareness of all factors that could affect the maneuverability of the sailboat and other vessels on the waterway, including all weather conditions, especially wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

After conducting a forensic review of the captain\u2019s phone, prosecutors also allege he was on it at the time of the collision, writing:<\/p>\n

\u201cCellular telephone was unlocked during the transit time leading up to the collision and indicated activity on internet marketplaces, including at the time when the collision occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 12 months and one day, but the judge will ultimately make that decision. A sentencing hearing for Lopez Insua has been scheduled for Oct. 13.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/p>\n

\tJoin our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI (WSVN) – Nearly a year after a boat crash in Biscayne Bay took the lives of three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347402,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-347401","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\/347401","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=347401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}