An American woman from Florida was convicted of second-degree murder on Friday for the 2020 death of her boyfriend, whom she left zipped inside a suitcase, where he eventually suffocated.
Sarah Boone, now 47, originally claimed the tragic incident occurred after a playful game of hide-and-seek went horribly wrong in their Winter Park apartment.
According to court records, Boone told investigators that she and her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., had spent the night drinking chardonnay and working on puzzles.
At some point, the couple decided to play hide-and-seek, and they thought “it would be funny” for Torres to hide inside a suitcase, as noted in an affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Boone said she zipped Torres, 42, into a blue suitcase, noticing that two of his fingers were sticking out.
She assumed he would be able to unzip the case and let himself out, she told authorities. She then went upstairs to bed, expecting him to join her shortly.
However, Boone’s story began to unravel after authorities reviewed chilling evidence on her phone.
In the videos, Torres could be heard panicking, repeatedly pleading with Boone to let him out, telling her he couldn’t breathe.
“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.”
Boone, however, ignored his pleas and left him in the suitcase until the following morning.
When Boone woke up, she said she couldn’t initially find Torres and then remembered the suitcase. She opened it, only to find him unresponsive. Torres was pronounced dead at the scene.
Throughout the 10-day trial, Boone’s defense argued that she suffered from “Battered Spouse Syndrome” and was afraid of Torres.
Boone testified for nearly five hours, maintaining that she believed Torres could free himself from the suitcase.
However, the jury was presented with damning video evidence showing the extent of Torres’ distress and Boone’s apparent indifference to his suffering.
Following the guilty verdict, Boone’s attorney, James Owens, expressed disappointment, saying Boone was “in shock” and believed she had a strong defense.
Meanwhile, Torres’ family, who had attended the trial, chose not to speak to reporters, overcome by emotion.
Boone’s sentencing is scheduled for December 2 at 1:30 p.m., according to a statement from the State Attorney’s office.
