Florida woman sentenced to life in prison for zipping her boyfriend in a suitcase for hours until he died
Defendant Sarah Boone talks with defense attorney James Owens before closing arguments in her trial Friday
By Zoe Sottile and Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — A Florida woman was sentenced to life in prison Monday after she was found guilty of second-degree murder for zipping her boyfriend in a suitcase, leaving him inside for hours until he died.
Sarah Boone, 47, was found guilty of second-degree murder in October. Prosecutors said she zipped her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., into a suitcase, recording video of herself taunting him before leaving him stuck inside overnight to suffocate and die.
Several of Torres’ family members spoke ahead of the sentencing about the impact of his death. In a tearful statement, his mother, Blanca Torres, said Boone “not only killed my son, she killed a father, a brother, an uncle.”
“Sometimes when I look out the window, I’m waiting for him to come and say, ‘Mom, I love you,’” she said.
Torres’ sister, Victoria Torres, said Boone “has caused a lifetime of pain.”
One of his daughters, Anna Victoria Torres, said the death of her “incredible father” has left her with chronic depression and anxiety. In the first year after his death, she woke up “screaming every morning or night wishing I was having a nightmare, only to wake up and remember all over again that my father is gone,” she said.
Boone also took the stand before the sentencing and described being abused by Torres. During her trial, she and her defense team argued she suffered from “battered spouse syndrome” and she was afraid of Torres, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
She said Monday that Torres “kicked, punched, spit on, raped, stabbed, (and) choked” her, among other forms of abuse.
“I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster,” she said. “And no matter how grotesque he may become, I still loved him, hoped and forgave.”
In February 2020, the couple was drinking alcohol and playing a game of hide-and-seek, according to a news release from State Attorney Andrew Bain.
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.
Boone said Torres voluntarily climbed into the suitcase and she zipped it closed, the news release says. She recorded herself “taunting” Torres as he asked to be let out and then went upstairs to sleep, according to the release.
She thought because two of his fingers stuck out from the suitcase, he would be able to open it, according to the affidavit.
When Boone woke up, she found Torres unresponsive in the suitcase and called 911, according to Bain.
Videos found on Boone’s phone that included Torres “frantically pleading to be released while Boone laughed and rebuffed him several times” were presented at trial, according to the news release from Bain’s office.
“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 reads. “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, according to the release.
The video shows Torres pushing on the suitcase and trying to get out, the affidavit said.
Boone testified in her own defense for around five hours, according to CNN affiliate WESH.
When asked by a prosecutor why she didn’t unzip the suitcase, she said, “I wanted him to try to understand how I felt so maybe he could progress and be a better person,” according to WESH.
Boone’s attorney said his client was “shocked” and her team was “very disappointed” after she was convicted, reported WESH. Torres’ family declined to speak with the media.
She filed a request for a new trial at the start of November, court documents show. The request cites alleged prosecutorial misconduct and other complaints about the trial.
Judge Michael Kraynick denied the request before the sentencing, citing “the court’s review of the record, the court’s participation in the trial and review of all the evidence of the court’s prior findings and rulings at trial.”
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