MIAMI — Opening statements in the manslaughter and vessel homicide trial of South Florida real estate mogul George Pino could start as early as Monday.
Pino, 55, is facing the charges in connection with the September 2022 death of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez.
Miami-Dade Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez heard final motions from both sides on a range of topics, from mentions of alcohol on board the Robalo to what passengers who were on board the boat the day of the 2022 crash can testify to and more.
“They can describe how they feel, what they heard, what they saw,” Tinkler Mendez said.
Jurors will also be able to see the boat in person by taking a site visit to a location 13 miles away near North Miami Beach.
“This is not like a group field trip, though. This is just the jurors, the parties,” Tinkler Mendez said. “I don’t need to bring the clerk, as far as I know. I’m going to bring my court reporter, although there will be no conversations that take place during the viewing at all.”
Prosecutors had asked the court to allow jurors to visit the site, in part to get a better grasp of the size of the vessel.
The boat, operated by Pino, had his wife and 12 teenage girls, including his daughter, on board. After crashing into a channel marker, Fernandez became trapped beneath the capsized boat and drowned. Several others suffered varying injuries.
“The jurors would be in a marked area,” Tinkler Mendez said. “They have their notebooks if they wish and (they’re) free to meander about for a certain set period of time.”
The goal is to finalize the jury by Friday and, if accomplished, to have opening statements on Monday.
The trial is expected to stretch into the fourth week of June.
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