AI Platform Powers Acquittal
SNT Counsel AI Litigation Platform Powers Defense to Unanimous Acquittal in Vessel-Homicide Trial
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An AI platform helped win a unanimous acquittal in one of Miami's most closely watched criminal trials. SNT Counsel, built by SNT Labs, gave defense attorney Howard Srebnick real-time support throughout the vessel-homicide case against George Pino — and the jury needed just 75 minutes to return a not-guilty verdict on all counts Business Wire.
Pino, a prominent Miami real estate broker, faced charges of vessel homicide and manslaughter after his 29-foot boat struck a concrete channel marker in Biscayne Bay on Labor Day 2022. The crash killed 17-year-old Luciana Fernandez and left another passenger with permanent neurological disabilities CBS Miami.
SNT Counsel Gave Defense Team Total Recall of Record
SNT Counsel managed the full trial record from jury selection through verdict. The platform gave Srebnick's team instant retrieval of every word spoken during the trial. It also analyzed audio and video evidence and produced daily work product for the attorneys Business Wire.
The AI also ran a live model of where the case was heading — tracking testimony, flagging inconsistencies, and helping the team move fast during cross-examination. Legal analysts watching the trial noted the defense was "nimble" and caught prosecution witnesses in contradictions with "unprecedented speed" Business Wire.
Prosecution Cited Speed and Alcohol; Defense Countered With Witnesses
Prosecutors argued Pino was distracted for at least nine seconds and hit a "massive neon green" channel marker while traveling 47 mph. Authorities found 61 empty containers on the boat. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said the "totality" of Pino's actions "were reckless and constituted a crime" The Guardian.
The defense pushed a different story. They pointed to a sudden wake and a steering malfunction as the cause of the crash. Using SNT Counsel, Srebnick pulled medical record data in real time to back up expert testimony from neurologist Dr. Diana Barratt, who found no signs of impairment CBS Miami.
Srebnick Plans to Use SNT Counsel in Every Future Trial
After the verdict, Srebnick made clear the AI was not a one-time experiment. "I plan to have SNT Counsel at my fingertips in every case that I try," he said Business Wire. SNT Labs said the platform grounds every output in the actual trial record, which prevents the AI from making things up — a major concern with AI tools in court.
The Pino trial is seen as the first high-profile case where a real-time AI trial assistant played a decisive role in a felony acquittal Business Wire. SNT Labs says the platform exponentially increases the output of a small trial team — raising questions about whether less-funded defendants will ever have access to similar tools.
Victim's Family and Public React With Dismay to Verdict
The Fernandez family left the courtroom "stoic and quiet" after the acquittal Miami Herald. The Puig family — whose daughter suffered permanent injuries — had already secured a $16 million civil settlement from Pino's wife but wanted criminal accountability for Pino himself The Guardian.
Public reaction on social media was sharp. Many called it a case of a "millionaire boat driver" avoiding prison. Legal professionals, however, praised the defense's use of technology. Florida's legislature had already passed "Lucy's Law" after the 2022 crash, toughening penalties for reckless boating statewide CBS Miami.
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