Guilty Verdict in North Bay Village Triple Fatal Hit-and-Run

Guilty Verdict in Fatal Hit-and-Run

• ⚖️ A jury found Julius Bernstein guilty on all six counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash causing death.
• 🎯 The verdict concludes the trial for the man accused of crashing into a mother and her two daughters in North Bay Village.

The Fiery Crash

• 💥 The incident occurred in June 2022 at the intersection of the John F. Kennedy Causeway and Harbor Island Drive.
• 🚗 Dash cam video captured a Dodge Charger, driven by Bernstein, crashing into the victim's Infiniti as it turned left, causing it to burst into flames.
• 💔 The victims were identified as Cynthia Orsa Tiz and her daughters, 15-year-old Sophia Sedi and 12-year-old Maria Sedi.

Prosecution and Defense Arguments

• 📈 Prosecutors argued that Bernstein was speeding nearly 100 miles an hour in a 30 zone and fled the scene.
• 🔬 DNA evidence was cited by the prosecution to place Bernstein in the vehicle.
• ⚠️ The defense questioned the evidence, calling it misleading, and suggested the victims' alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
• ❓ Defense also highlighted the lack of evidence directly placing Bernstein behind the wheel and ownership of the vehicle.

Sentencing and Aftermath

• 📅 A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled for Bernstein.
• 💬 A lawyer for the victims' father stated the verdict offers some sense of closure, though the trial was a painful reliving of the worst time of his life.