Woman Found Guilty of Leaving Her Boyfriend to Die in a Suitcase

A jury in Florida It determined the fate of a 47-year-old woman is on trial for leaving her boyfriend to die in a zippered suitcase, Fox 35 Orlando reported. It took a jury less than two hours Friday to find Sarah Boone guilty of second-degree murder.

Boone was arrested in February 2020 after 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr. was found dead inside a compact bag in his Winter Park apartment. Boone claimed that Torres zipped up the suitcase during a game of hide-and-seek and the two laughed about how Torres could fit into such a small space. Boone’s memories of who zipped up the suitcase wavered; At first he said that Torres zipped himself up, and then he said that he did not zip up all the way, leaving a gap between the zippers for his fingers to stick out. He eventually went to bed with Torres still in the suitcase and woke up the next morning to find Torres dead.

Boone called investigators, to whom he testified repeatedly, including in a two-hour interview the day after Torres’ death. In these statements, Boone repeated that the crime was “not intentional.” “There was no malice,” he told detectives several times during his interrogation.

However, authorities discovered several videos on Boone’s phone that were taken the night of the incident, casting doubt on his version of events. In videos taken by Boone on his cell phone, the bag can be seen in different parts of their apartment. Sometimes the case is turned right side up; In some, it is completely reversed.

In the video, Torres can be heard saying, “Sarah! For everything you’ve done to me.” Boone can be heard saying, “For everything you’ve done to me.” Please baby. I can’t breathe.

“Yeah, that’s what it feels like when you choke me,” Boone tells Torres. In the video, the woman can be heard saying her name.

“That’s my name,” Boone replies. “Don’t wear it.”

Boone met with nine different attorneys, most of whom were public defenders, so it took almost five years for the case to go to trial. Several of his former attorneys hinted that Boone was seeking a legally impermissible defense. Through a letter-writing campaign in which he berated his attorneys, calling them “idiot(s)” and accusing them of having a “snotty attitude(s),” Boone also succeeded in getting the original judge removed from his case.

In June the second judge, Hon. Michael Kraynick found that Boone had effectively denied him his right to counsel and announced that he would not appoint another public defender. Boone then filmed a help wanted ad seeking an attorney, which resulted in attorney James Owens representing him at trial.

Somewhat controversially, Boone and her attorneys pursued the battered spouse defense. Boone argued that he and Torres were in a mutual relationship. abusive relationship and that he feared for his life the night of her death. Boone presented photographs in which Torres could be seen with black eyes and other injuries allegedly caused; but prosecutors showed texts showing Boone had financial and emotional control over Torres. In a text exchange after briefly leaving their home, Torres pleaded for the return of her birth certificate. Boone responded by sending a picture of his birth certificate cut into four pieces.

Boone’s story on the stand changed significantly from what he told investigators. He admitted that his actions were deliberate and that although it started as a game, he decided to take advantage of Torres’ entrapment to teach him a lesson. He also admitted hitting Torres in the face and hands with a baseball bat as he tried to escape from the bag.

It took the jury just 90 minutes to find Boone guilty Friday night. He faces a minimum sentence of 22.5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life without parole. Just before the hearing, Boone rejected a 15-year plea deal that would have likely ensured his release within the next decade. Boone’s sentencing is scheduled for December 2 at 1:30 pm local time.