Dramatic court scenes as property developer turns himself in for fatal boat crash that killed a teenage girl

A salient Florida spot developer has surrendered himself to authorities arsenic a effect of his engagement successful a 2022 boating mishap that killed a 17-year-old miss and near different paralyzed.

George Pino, a well-known existent property broker successful Doral, appeared successful a Miami-Dade Court connected Thursday for a proceeding that saw him crook himself into authorities. 

The 54-year-old, who is presently facing a felony vas homicide complaint for his engagement successful the 2022 Biscayne vessel crash, somberly walked into the courtroom hand-in-hand with his woman and daughter.

The horrific mishap took spot connected Labor Day play 2 years agone erstwhile Pino accidentally struck a transmission marker, causing the 29-foot Robalo vessel to overturn, sending each 14 passengers overboard.

The fatal clang took the beingness of 17-year-old Luciana 'Lucy' Fernandez and near Katerina Puig, who was 18 astatine the time, with debilitating and imperishable injuries that volition preclude her from surviving an autarkic life. 

The adjacent 15-minute proceeding saw a distressed and affectional Pino, arsenic helium stood silently down his attorney, Howard Srebnick, portion astir 75 of his relatives and friends sat down him successful support.

At the adjacent of the Thursday proceeding the salient spot developer was taken into custody by corrections officers and was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center astatine 12:50 pm, according to jailhouse records. 

As the distressed developer exited the courtroom, his lawyer thanked Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge, Maria Tinkler Mendez, for her 'sensitivity' successful expediting the surrender process. 

Last year, Pino was charged with 3 misdemeanors: 1 number of second-degree careless cognition of a vas and 2 counts of careless cognition of a vas causing superior bodily injury. 

However, those charges were dropped connected October 31 successful favour of the felony charge, which was brought astir aft further witnesses came forward, strengthening the case. 

If convicted, Pino faces a minimum condemnation of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years successful prison.

He has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges.

Following his affectional surrender, Pino's niece, Sofia Castellanos, work a tear-jerking connection from the family.

'From that moment, we person been racked by despair and grief and surviving a nightmare we could ne'er person imagined. Worse than this though, is knowing that our anguish does not comparison to the symptom and suffering experienced by the impacted families; thing we would not person wished connected anyone, fto unsocial our closest friends and family,' Castellanos read.

'If we could springiness up our lives to bring Lucy backmost oregon alteration what happened that day, we would bash truthful successful an instant. Sadly, we cannot. We commune each time for the Fernandez and Puig families and person committed our beingness savings and taken connected important indebtedness to assistance enactment them.

'As my begetter present confronts the superior transgression charges which person been filed, we tin lone anticipation that the State Attorney, and the assemblage we emotion truthful much, volition question to recognize each the facts surrounding this tragic accident,' she closed.

The devastating clang took spot connected September 4, 2022, erstwhile Pino and his wife, Cecilia Pino, were hosting respective teen girls for their daughter's 18th day party. 

All of the girls connected the vessel were lifelong friends of Carolina Pino and students astatine Carrolton School of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. 

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Pino was piloting the 29-foot vas backmost to the dock erstwhile helium deed a transmission marker, portion speeding astatine astir 50 miles per hour, adjacent Boca Chita Key. 

Pino allegedly said different vessel came by creating a large aftermath and erstwhile helium turned to cheque and marque definite each of the girls were okay, helium deed the marker, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said.

The vessel clang knocked everyone retired of the vessel and tore a ample spread successful the broadside of the vessel, injuring 11 of the passengers. 

Six of them were taken to the hospital, wherever Fernandez would aboriginal die. 

Pino was ne'er administered a sobriety test, yet erstwhile the vessel was pulled from the h2o the time aft the crash, 61 bare intoxicant bottles - including an bare vessel of champagne - were recovered connected it, according to the Miami Herald. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee - who conducted an 'extensive marine investigation' pursuing the mishap - maintained that it didn't person probable origin to execute the test.

Pino told investigators that helium had 'two beers' and didn't look impaired astatine the scene.

'I americium dismayed by the State's astonishment determination to record this caller complaint much than 2 years later,' Srebnick told CBS News Miami.

'Officers connected the country of the clang determined that Pino was not intoxicated; Pino did not transcend immoderate posted velocity limit, Pino had the required fig of Coast Guard-approved beingness preservers connected committee the vessel, and contempt sustaining a caput wounded himself [requiring 15 stitches], Pino made heroic efforts to rescue the injured passengers, including diving nether the capsized boat,' helium continued. 

'This was an accident, not a crime, overmuch little a felony.'

The suit alleging the engagement of intoxicant during the celebratory outing surfaced successful March of past twelvemonth erstwhile the household of the present disabled teen filed it.

The assertion besides alleges that the 54-year-old operator had been drinking earlier the clang and allowed the underaged teens to devour alcoholic beverages portion retired connected the boat. 

Pino is scheduled to reappear successful tribunal successful January.