The Florida boater accused of killing a teenage ballerina while she was wakeboarding in Miami during a friend’s birthday avoided prison after securing a slap-on-the-wrist plea deal.
Carlos Guillermo “Bill” Alonso, 79, was handed six months of probation and ordered to take a boater-safety course on Monday in Miami-Dade County court for the 2024 hit-and-run death of 15-year-old Ella Adler, the Key Biscayne Independent reported.
Alonso reached a plea deal with prosecutors after he was charged with two misdemeanor counts of careless vessel operation for piloting his 42-foot yacht through a crowded Key Biscayne waterway and striking and killing the teen.
The plea deal allows Alonso to avoid a formal conviction, sparing him a possible 60-day county jail sentence.
However, the deal clears the charges entirely if Alonso completes probation without violations, his attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, said Tuesday.
“Our hearts go out to the Adler family. This was a tragic accident, and of course, Bill never intended to hurt anyone that day,” Field Krasnoff said.
She said Alonso’s decision to accept the plea deal was driven by his hope that doing so would cause less pain to Ella’s family and help shine a light on the Ella Riley Adler Foundation
Alonso was ordered to complete a 75-hour boating safety course, donate $5,000 to the Florida Crime Victims Compensation Fund in Adler’s memory, and pay a $500 state fine and court costs, the outlet reported.
He is also prohibited from operating a vessel during his probation period.
Adler — the granddaughter of former US ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler — was wakeboarding with friends to celebrate her birthday in Key Biscayne when she fell into the water.
Witnesses said the 15-year-old was treading water when she was struck and killed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initially treated the case as a hit-and-run after investigators were unable to locate Alonso’s vessel until days later, when it was found docked behind his home in a gated Coral Gables community.
However, security-camera footage released by Alonso’s attorneys showed him heading out on his boat earlier that day and calmly returning later that afternoon.
His attorneys said his calm return proved he did not realize he had struck someone on the water.
Adler was a star at Ransom Everglades High School, excelling on the debate and dance teams and performing in “Chicago” just weeks before her death.
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A gifted, classically trained dancer, she appeared more than 100 times with the Miami City Ballet.
The teen’s father, Matthew Adler, said in court Monday that his daughter “made everything more joyful, more beautiful and more connected,” according to the Key Biscayne Independent.
“Ella was extraordinary. She radiated joy, kindness and creativity in every room she entered,” he said. “She didn’t just live. She danced through life.”
Adler also called for stricter regulations on Florida waterways, noting that far fewer rules govern boat operators than drivers.
“Too many children are dying on our waterways,” he said. “Imagine if someone proposed eliminating driver’s license insurance or accountability on the roads.”
Also charged was Edmund Richard Hartley, the captain of the yacht towing Adler and another girl, who was not injured.
Hartley has pleaded not guilty to four counts of careless boating, violations of navigation rules relating to lookout, responsibility for collision, and action to avoid collision, the Key Biscayne Independent reported.
He faces up to 60 days in jail if convicted.
