A Miami-Dade judge on Friday set a potential trial date of July 14 in the high-profile case of George Pino, the real estate mogul charged with felony vessel homicide in a 2022 boating crash.
The charges stem from a boating incident that led to the death of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez near Boca Chita Key.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say Pino was behind the wheel of a 29-foot boat the evening of Sept. 4, 2022, when he lost control and slammed it into a channel marker.
Pino initially faced three second-degree misdemeanor charges, but after gathering additional witness testimony, prosecutors elevated the charge to homicide.
Pino did not appear in court on Friday, but his attorney explained that the mid-July trial date was preferred since many of those providing testimony are students.
“There needs to be some accommodation made for preserving testimony,” said Pino’s attorney.
While investigators reported at the time that they did not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash, Pino declined a voluntary blood draw after admitting to drinking earlier that evening.
Back in May, a judge ordered Pino’s wife to pay $16 million to the family of one of the teens badly injured in the crash as part of a lawsuit settlement.
A Miami-Dade judge set a potential trial date in the high-profile case of George Pino, the real estate mogul charged with felony vessel homicide in 2022.
MIAMI – A Miami-Dade judge on Friday set a potential trial date of July 14 in the high-profile case of George Pino, the real estate mogul charged with felony vessel homicide in a 2022 boating crash.
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The charges stem from a boating incident that led to the death of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez near Boca Chita Key.
Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say Pino was behind the wheel of a 29-foot boat the evening of Sept. 4, 2022, when he lost control and slammed it into a channel marker.
Pino initially faced three second-degree misdemeanor charges, but after gathering additional witness testimony, prosecutors elevated the charge to homicide.
Pino did not appear in court on Friday, but his attorney explained that the mid-July trial date was preferred since many of those providing testimony are students.
“There needs to be some accommodation made for preserving testimony,” said Pino’s attorney.
While investigators reported at the time that they did not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash, Pino declined a voluntary blood draw after admitting to drinking earlier that evening.
Back in May, a judge ordered Pino’s wife to pay $16 million to the family of one of the teens badly injured in the crash as part of a lawsuit settlement.