A prominent businessman is charged with murder for the death of a girl on a boat

A prominent Florida real estate developer charged with murder surrendered to authorities last week, two years after he was involved in a 2022 boating accident off Miami Beach that killed a girl.

George Pino, 54, was operating a 29-foot boat with his wife and 12 children on board on September 4, 2022 when he hit a channel marker near Boca Chita Key, killing Luciana Fernandez, 17, and seriously injuring another. 17-year-old and 16-year-old, according to prosecutors and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials.

Pino appeared in Miami-Dade Court on Thursday surrounded by dozens of relatives and friends in court, the Miami Herald reported. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful killing in the September 2022 massacre.

“I am saddened by the State’s surprise decision to file this case after two years,” Pino’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, told Fox News Digital in a statement, in part.

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George Pino, 54, was charged with manslaughter in the death of Luciana Fernandez, 17, who was on the boat. (George Pino’s attorney Howard Srebnick)

A judge last week ordered Pino to prison for manslaughter/negligent operation in the 2022 accident. He has since been released, according to his Miami-Dade criminal file.

Pino, who was out boating to celebrate his daughter’s birthday, refused a blood-alcohol test immediately after the crash and told officers he wanted an attorney present, according to the FWC report and civil lawsuit.

An FWC investigation into the incident last year found that Pino was not impaired by drugs or alcohol while operating the boat due to the boater’s driving pattern.

“It is an insult to our family, who had no choice but to accept the consequences of the accident, that now they are also forced to accept many contradictions against the FWC report,” said Andres and Melissa Fernandez, Luciana’s parents. a previous statement to Fox News Digital.

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George Pino’s boat hit a channel marker on September 4, 2022, killing 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and injuring 10 others. (FWC report)

However, new body camera footage of Pino talking to FWC officers after the crash, released last month, showed Pino admitting to having two beers but refusing to give a blood sample, and authorities said he also refused a breathalyzer, NBC6 reported.

Prosecutors re-examined the case and opened a new case after a new witness — a Miami-Dade firefighter who responded to the boating accident — came forward and told prosecutors that alcohol was a factor in the crash, a lawyer for the Fernandez family told reporters. .

61 empty liquor bottles and cans, one empty champagne bottle and a half-full liquor bottle were found on board, according to the FWC.

“Police on the scene determined that Pino was not intoxicated; Pino did not exceed any speed limit, Pino had the required number of lifeguards on board, and despite his own head injury (requiring fifteen stitches), Pino made heroic efforts to rescue the injured passengers, including diving under of an abandoned boat,” Pino’s attorney continued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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The boat capsized following the accident and good Samaritans, along with responding agencies, pulled the victims from the water. (FWC report)

The Miami-Dade County District Attorney’s Office originally He charged Pino with three chargesincluding one count of negligent operation of a vessel causing death and two counts of negligent operation of a vessel causing serious bodily injury.

Misdemeanor charges were dropped on October 31, and a murder charge was opened last month.

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“I hope that the State’s Attorney will soon realize that this was a tragic accident—not a crime, let alone a crime—and will dismiss the case rather than continue with a trial that will force everyone involved to live this nightmare in public court. ,” said Srebnick in his statement.

Pino’s next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2025.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.