Florida woman found guilty of murder for leaving boyfriend to die in suitcase

ORLANDO, Fla. — Woman accused of leaving her boyfriend to die tucked into a suitcase A jury in central Florida found him guilty of second-degree murder at their home.

Four years after Sarah Boone’s death arrested Jurors in the death of Jorge Torres returned the verdict against him Friday evening after deliberating for about 90 minutes. Boone pleaded not guilty.

Boone first told detectives at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that he and Torres were playing hide-and-seek at their home in Winter Park, Florida, on February 23, 2020, and thought it would be funny if Torres walked into police at the time. suitcase.

She told detectives they had been drinking and decided to go to sleep, thinking her boyfriend could get out of the bag on his own, according to the arrest report.

When he woke up the next morning, he couldn’t find Torres, but then he remembered she was in the bag. He unzipped the suitcase and found her unresponsive, according to the arrest report.

According to the arrest report, detectives charged Boone with murder after finding videos on Boone’s cell phone that showed Torres screaming from inside the bag that he couldn’t breathe and repeatedly saying Boone’s name.

During his trial, Boone testified that past violent incidents between himself and Torres caused him to perceive an imminent threat of harm and that he acted in self-defense by keeping it in the bag.

“Yeah, that’s what you do when you strangle me,” Boone said in one of the cellphone videos from that night, according to the arrest report. “Oh, that’s how I feel when you cheat on me.”

The autopsy report stated that Torres had scratches on his back and neck, contusions on his shoulder, skull and forehead due to blunt force trauma, and a cut near his burst lip.

Boone has met with multiple attorneys since his arrest, which contributed to the 10-day delay in his trial.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2 and faces life in prison.

___ Associated Press reporter Michael Schneider in Orlando contributed to this report. Kate Payne is a syndicated member of the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. report for america is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.