Florida judge denies acquittal motion, Pino trial continues

A Florida judge has denied a motion to acquit real estate developer George Pino on charges stemming from a fatal 2022 boat crash, allowing his trial to proceed. Pino, 54, faces charges of manslaughter and vessel homicide for the September 4, 2022, incident that killed 17-year-old Luciana "Lucy" Fernandez and left another passenger, Katerina "Katy" Puig, now 21, with severe physical and neurological disabilities.

The motion for a judgment of acquittal, filed by Pino's defense after prosecutors rested their case on Monday, was rejected by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez on Tuesday. Such motions require a judge to find that no rational jury could convict and are rarely granted. With the motion denied, the defense began presenting its case, calling several witnesses who were on the boat that day.

The crash occurred as Pino was returning from an outing to Elliott Key, where the group had been celebrating his daughter's 18th birthday. He was piloting his 29-foot Robalo yacht, carrying his wife, daughter, and 11 of his daughter's friends back to the Ocean Reef Club in north Key Largo. According to testimony from boating expert Lt. Paul Alber, Pino's boat was traveling at...