MIAMI — Opening statements were heard on Wednesday in the trial of a man accused of killing a mother and her two daughters in a fiery crash.
Julius Bernstein, 27, is on trial for the crash that occurred in North Bay Village on June 27, 2022 at the intersection of the John F. Kennedy Causeway and Harbor Island Drive.
A witness’s dashcam video shows a Dodge Charger plowing into the victims’ Infiniti, which burst into flames.
The mother was attempting to make a left-hand turn at the time.
Prosecutors say Bernstein struck them at 97 mph before running away from the crash scene and eventually out of the state of Florida.
Cynthia Orsa Telliz was killed, along with her daughters, 15-year-old Sophia Saidi and 12-year-old Maria Saidi.
The fire was so intense that dental records were used to identify them.
The state says DNA evidence puts Bernstein behind the wheel, but the defense argues Bernstein is not guilty, in part because the mother’s blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit that night. The defense also claims that the DNA evidence is misleading.
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