A Florida woman who zipped her boyfriend in a suitcase for hours until he died found guilty of second-degree murder
By Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — A Florida woman was found guilty of second-degree murder Friday after authorities said she zipped her boyfriend up in a suitcase and left him for dead back in 2020.
Sarah Boone, now 47, told authorities her boyfriend got trapped in a suitcase and died during a game of hide-and-seek, court records show. The Florida couple had been drinking chardonnay and doing puzzles in their Winter Park apartment.
They thought “it would be funny” to hop in a suitcase as a part of the game, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
When Boone zipped up Jorge Torres Jr., 42, in a blue suitcase, two of his fingers stuck out, so she assumed he could open it, according to the affidavit.
She went upstairs to bed and thought he would get himself out of the suitcase and join her, only to wake up and find him still in it and not breathing, the affidavit said.
“Evidence presented during the trial included videos found on Boone’s phone where Torres could be heard frantically pleading to be released while Boone laughed and rebuffed him several times,” a release from State Attorney Andrew Bain’s office said.
“In the videos she recorded, the victim could be heard telling the defendant he could not breathe and asking to be let out of the suitcase,” the release added. “Boone responded with, ‘That’s what you get,’ ‘That’s what I feel like when you cheat on me’ and other taunts.”
“I can’t f**king breathe, seriously,” her boyfriend said in the phone video.
The video shows Torres pushing on the suitcase and trying to get out, the affidavit said.
During the 10-day trial, Boone’s defense said she was suffering from “Battered Spouse Syndrome” and was in fear for her life, CNN affiliate WFTV reported. Boone also testified she thought Torres could get out of the suitcase, the affiliate said.
She testified in her own defense for almost five hours, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
Boone’s attorney said they were very disappointed following the verdict, while the family of Torres was emotional and declined to speak with the media, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
“Just shock. She’s shocked, you know,” James Owens, said, according to WESH. “She felt like, you know, she had a defense, as you know.”
Boone is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2 at 1:30 p.m., according to the release from the state attorney’s office.
CNN’s Faith Karimi contributed to this report.
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