Families blast verdict after George Pino acquitted in fatal boat crash
Lucy Fernandez’s and Katy Puig’s families said the acquittal left accountability unresolved after the deadly Biscayne Bay crash.
A six-member Miami-Dade jury cleared George Pino of manslaughter and vessel homicide in the 2022 Biscayne Bay boating death of Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez and Katerina “Katy” Puig. The Fernandez family thanked prosecutors for pursuing the case but called the process lacking accountability, while the Puig family called the case narrowed in ways that kept jurors from fully understanding Katy’s injuries.
The crash happened Sept. 4, 2022, when a 29-foot boat carrying 13 or 14 people struck a channel marker near Boca Chita Key and Cutter Bank channel and capsized. Lucy, then a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, died the next day. Katy suffered permanent injuries, including serious physical and neurological damage that changed her life. The outing started in the Ocean Reef area of Key Largo, placing the case in Monroe County as well as Miami-Dade.
Jurors, five men and one woman, deliberated for roughly 90 minutes to less than three hours before reaching their verdict in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court. Prosecutors argued Pino was hurrying back for a birthday dinner and operated the boat recklessly through a busy channel, while the defense called the crash a tragic accident, not a crime. Pino did not testify, and after the verdict he cried and embraced family members in the courtroom.
After Lucy’s death, the Fernandez family created the Lucy Fernandez Foundation, which helped push CS/CS/SB 628, known as Lucy’s Law, a 2025 measure signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and effective July 1, 2025 that increased penalties for vessel collisions, reckless operation, leaving the scene and false information in reports. Miami-Dade County also launched an eight-member Boater Safety and Bay Education Task Force in April 2025 with the foundation as a partner.
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