Florida woman Sarah Boone receives life sentence for zipping boyfriend into suitcase, leading to his suffocation death.
At a Glance
- Sarah Boone, 47, convicted of second-degree murder for boyfriend’s death
- Victim Jorge Torres suffocated after being zipped into a suitcase
- Jury reached verdict in 90 minutes after 10-day trial
- Boone claimed self-defense, citing history of domestic abuse
- Disturbing cellphone videos showed Torres pleading for help
Justice Served in Shocking Suitcase Murder Case
In a chilling case that has gripped the nation, Sarah Boone, a 47-year-old Florida woman, has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2020 murder of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres. The verdict, delivered by Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick in Orlando, comes after a 10-day trial that exposed the grim details of Torres’ final moments, trapped in a suitcase and struggling to breathe.
The jury, unmoved by Boone’s claims of self-defense and alleged history of abuse, took a mere 90 minutes to reach their decision. This swift deliberation underscores the strength of the evidence presented, including disturbing cellphone footage that captured Torres’ desperate pleas for help from inside the suitcase.
Sarah Boone, the Florida woman convicted of killing her boyfriend in Feb. 2020 by locking him inside a suitcase, will spend the rest of her life in prison. Boone was convicted of second-degree murder by a six-person jury in October 2024. https://t.co/PYSm220Y8o
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) December 3, 2024
A Defense Crumbles Under Scrutiny
Throughout the trial, Boone maintained that she was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Torres. Her defense team argued that she suffered from “battered spouse syndrome,” attempting to justify her actions as a response to prolonged abuse. However, this narrative failed to convince the jury, who saw through what prosecutors successfully portrayed as a calculated act of cruelty.
“Sarah deserves to rot in jail,” Victoria Torres, the victim’s sister, stated emphatically during her testimony. This powerful statement encapsulates the raw emotion and desire for justice felt by Torres’ family throughout the proceedings.
Boone’s decision to reject a plea deal for a reduced manslaughter charge with a 15-year sentence now looms large. This gamble, based on her insistence of victimhood, has resulted in a life sentence.
Damning Evidence Seals Boone’s Fate
The prosecution’s case was bolstered by chilling video evidence from Boone’s own cellphone. These recordings captured Torres’ desperate cries for help from within the suitcase, punctuated by Boone’s callous responses. “Yeah that’s what you do when you choke me,” Boone can be heard saying in one clip.
“That’s what you get,” Boone taunted in another recording, followed by, “That’s what I feel like when you cheat on me.” These statements, now part of the court record, paint a damning picture of Boone’s state of mind during the incident.
Prosecutors argued convincingly that Boone intentionally left Torres in the suitcase to terrorize him, even striking him with a baseball bat at one point. This portrayal of calculated cruelty stood in stark contrast to Boone’s claims of self-defense and accidental death.
