Wrecked Justice
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Wrecked Justice
The Miami Herald spent more than two years dissecting the 2022 boat crash that killed 17-year-old Luciana ‘Lucy’ Fernandez and critically injured Katerina ‘Katy’ Puig. Herald reporters meticulously reviewed agency reports, spoke to witnesses never contacted by investigators and delved into public records to shine a light on what went wrong in Biscayne Bay, leading to George Pino being charged with misdemeanors, and ultimately, a felony.
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Wrecked Justice
The State Attorney’s Office conducted an inadequate investigation into a teen girl’s death that involved a wealthy boater, and for two years claimed he could only be charged with a misdemeanor.
Miami-Dade prosecutors, who collaborated with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, vowed to complete an “independent, thorough investigation” into the crash that killed one teenager and permanently injured another.
But it took two years - and a series of Miami Herald articles chronicling investigative failures - for the State Attorney’s Office to charge Pino with a felony in late October. The Herald found three eye-witnesses who neither the police nor the State Attorney’s Office had followed up with after the crash. After the Herald’s stories, a new witness, a Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue medic, came forward, prompting the filing of a felony vessel homicide charge against Pino.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 8:15 PM.
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