MIAMI — A man convicted in a North Bay Village hit-and-run crash that killed a mother and her two daughters back in 2022 was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation.
Julius Bernstein, 27, was sentenced to three consecutive 15-year terms after a jury previously found him guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing death.
The case stems from a fiery crash in June 2022 at the intersection of the John F. Kennedy Causeway and Harbor Island Drive.
Prosecutors said Bernstein was driving a Dodge Charger at nearly 100 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone when he slammed into an Infiniti driven by Cynthia Orsa Telliz as she attempted to make a left turn. The impact caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
Telliz and her daughters, 15-year-old Sophia Saidi and 12-year-old Maria Saidi, were killed.
Investigators said Bernstein fled the scene and was later arrested in North Carolina.
A jury reached its verdict in September 2025 following a trial that lasted several days in Miami.
Prosecutors presented dashcam video of the crash and cited DNA evidence placing Bernstein in the vehicle. They argued he should be held accountable for reckless driving that resulted in three deaths.
However, the defense challenged the DNA evidence and argued that Telliz’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.
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