A prominent one Florida real estate developer A man facing murder charges turned himself in to authorities last week, two years after he was involved in a 2022 boating accident off Miami Beach that killed a teenage girl.
George Pano, 54, was operating. A 29-foot vessel with his wife and 12 minor children on September 4, 2022 when he crashed into a channel marker near Boca Chita Cay, killing 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and critically injuring another 17-year-old and a 16-year-old. According to prosecutors and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Pano appeared in a Miami-Dade court on Thursday surrounded by dozens of relatives and friends. The Miami Herald reported.. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated murder in the September 2022 fatal incident.
“I am disappointed by the state’s surprising decision to file this felony charge more than two years later,” Pino’s attorney, Howard Srebank, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
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Luciana Fernandez was a 17-year-old high school student at the time of the fatal accident. (Instagram/Lucy Fernandez Foundation)
Jorge Pino, 54, has been charged with murder in the boating death of 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez. (George Pino’s Attorney Howard Srebank)
A judge last week ordered Pino to jail on one charge. Vessel kill/operate Negligent in a 2022 accident. He has since been released, according to his Miami-Dade case file.
Pino, who got out of the boat to celebrate his daughter’s birthday, refused a blood-alcohol level test shortly after the crash and told authorities he wanted an attorney present, the FWC report and the civil suit state. According to
FWC investigation into the incident Last year it was discovered that Pino was not impaired by drugs or alcohol while sailing because of the manner in which the boat was operated.
Luciana’s parents, Andres and Melissa Fernandez, said, “This is an insult to our family, who had no choice but to accept the consequences of the accident, now that the numerous inconsistencies dismissed by the FWC report are also forced to accept.” A previous statement to Fox News Digital.
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Jorge Pino’s boat collided with 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 speaking with FWC officers after the crash, released last month, showed Pino admitting to having two beers but refusing to provide a blood sample, and officials He also refused a breathalyzer, he said. NBC6 reported..
The prosecution re-examined the case and filed a new charge after a new witness. A Miami-Dade firefighter who responded to the boat crash — came forward and told prosecutors that alcohol was a factor in the crash, a lawyer for Fernandez’s family told the outlet.
According to the FWC, there were a total of 61 empty alcohol bottles and cans, one empty champagne bottle and half bottles of wine.
“Officers at the scene of the accident determined that Pino was not intoxicated; Pino did not exceed any posted speed limit; Pino had the required number of Coast Guard-approved life preservers on board.” was present, and despite suffering a head injury himself (requiring fifteen stitches), Pino made valiant efforts to save the injured passengers, including diving under the overturned boat,” Pino’s attorney said. continued the statement to Fox News Digital.
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After the accident, the boat overturned and Good Samaritans worked with responding agencies to pull the victims from the water. (FWC Report)
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office initially Pannu was charged with three counts of misconductincluding one count of negligent operation of a vessel causing death and two counts of negligent operation of a vessel causing serious bodily injury.
The corruption charges were dropped on October 31, and the murder charge was filed last month.
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“I hope the state attorney will soon admit that this was a tragic accident.not a crime There is little guilt — and would rather dismiss the charge than pursue a trial that would unnecessarily force every victim to relive this nightmare in a public court,” Srebank said in his statement.
Pano’s next hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2025.
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.