George Pino Verdict Who Is His Lawyer Howard Srebnick Where Is Katy Puig After Deadly Boat Crash Latest Update

A Miami-Dade jury on Monday found George Pino not guilty of second-degree manslaughter and vessel homicide over the Labor Day weekend collision that killed 17-year-old Luciana “Lucy” Fernandez and left Katy Puig severely injured.

Pino’s acquittal in the 2022 Biscayne Bay boat-crash case has garnered public interest in two people in the story: his high-profile lawyer, Howard Srebnick, and survivor Katerina “Katy” Puig, who suffered permanent injuries in the crash.

On September 4, 2022, Pino was piloting a 29-foot Robalo near Boca Chita Key during his daughter Carolina’s 18th birthday outing.

Authorities said the boat hit a channel marker in Biscayne Bay, throwing passengers into the water. Fernandez died. Puig, then 17, was left with permanent neurological and physical disabilities.

Prosecutors alleged Pino had been drinking and was travelling at an unsafe speed.

In a statement from Srebnick, following the jury's verdict in the case of State of Florida vs. George Pino, he said, “We are grateful to the jurors for their careful consideration of the evidence and for reaching a just verdict. From the beginning, we have maintained that the events of September 4, 2022, were a tragic accident, not a crime.”

Srebnick is a veteran Miami defense lawyer with decades of experience in federal and state criminal cases. As co-chair of the NACDL's Lawyer Assistance Strike Force, Howard currently defends attorneys who are subject to subpoenas or penalties for their fervent advocacy.

Srebnick is one of Miami’s best-known criminal defense attorneys and a longtime partner at the law firm Black Srebnick. Over the years, he has represented high-profile defendants in South Florida and beyond, including in white-collar, public corruption and major felony cases.

According to his firm biography, he is a founding partner of Black Srebnick. In South Florida legal circles, he is known for taking on high-stakes trials and for representing clients in cases that draw intense media attention. That reputation was visible throughout the Pino trial

In the Pino trial, he argued that the crash was “a tragic accident” and stressed that Pino was not charged with boating under the influence. He also pointed to Pino’s traumatic brain injury and disputed the prosecution’s account of recklessness.

In his final statement to the jury, he said, “The testimony presented at trial—including unrebutted accounts from eyewitnesses who saw no signs of impairment—confirmed that Mr Pino was not under the influence, was not operating the vessel recklessly, and that he did everything he could to protect his passengers after the accident.”

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Katy Puig is alive, but she has been living with the consequences of the crash for nearly four years. Court coverage from CBS Miami has consistently described her injuries as permanent and life-altering.

According to the Miami Herald, the Puig family released a statement after the acquittal saying they are "deeply disappointed by today’s verdict, and our hearts hurt for the Fernandez and Perez families, who continue to live every day with the unimaginable loss of Lucy.”

They added, “For nearly four years, our family has lived with the consequences of that tragic day. We see Katy’s injuries every day. We see the challenges she continues to face, the strength she demonstrates in overcoming them, and the impact this tragedy has had on her life and the lives of those who love her. No verdict can change those realities."

Due to the catastrophic brain injury she suffered in the boat crash, now 21-year-old Katy Puig will always be disabled.

The night of the collision, she was discovered unconscious in the bay and underwent emergency brain surgery at Nicklaus Children's Hospital.

The Miami Herald reported that she needs round-the-clock medical attention and now uses a wheelchair. The extent of Katy Puig's injuries was not disclosed to the jury throughout the trial.

Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More