FL v. Sarah Boone: Suitcase murder trial

ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) – A Florida woman found guilty of murdering her longtime boyfriend by stuffing him in a suitcase and leaving him to die has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life behind bars.

In October, Sarah Boone was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Jorge Torres Jr., who was found dead in a suitcase in the couple’s shared apartment on the morning of February 24, 2020. Before her sentencing, Boone’s request for a new trial was denied before she was sentenced to life in prison.

Sarah Boone smiles before opening statements in her murder trial. (Court TV)

In a series of interviews at the scene and the next day at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Boone told investigators that Torres willingly climbed into the suitcase while the couple played hide-and-seek after a night of drinking.

Key evidence in the prosecutor’s case included two videos found on Boone’s phone that were recorded while Torres was in the suitcase. The videos showed the victim begging to be released while Boone laughed and taunted him. Boone told police she went to bed shortly after taking the videos and fell asleep, leaving Torres behind in the luggage.

Boone was represented in court by James Owens, her ninth attorney in the case, who volunteered to step in as her attorney after Judge Michael Kraynick ruled that she had forfeited her right to an attorney. That ruling followed eight other attorneys withdrawing from the case, citing Boone’s conduct as a problem. Boone was vocal in her own defense, wrote several letters to the judge, and even created an ad for a lawyer that eventually caught Owens’ attention.

Owens had filed a notice of intent to use battered spouse syndrome as a defense in the case, citing years of domestic violence and arrests in the relationship between Boone and Torres.

A few days before her trial began, Boone rejected a plea deal from prosecutors that would have sent her to prison for 15 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Boone apologized to the court at the sentencing: “I hope that everyone can forgive me, but especially the Torres family.”

DAILY TEST HIGHLIGHTS

DAY 6 – 10/25/24

DAY 5 – 10/24/24

DAY 4 – 10/23/24

• Orange County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Deputy Jessica Ramirez-Delgado and Cpl. John Alden testified about previous domestic incidents at Torres and Boone’s apartment that they responded to.
• The defense called back Det. Chelsey Koepsell asks about previous incidents of domestic violence reported to police.
• Dr. Michael Brannon (who also testified in Marcia Thompson’s trial) testified as an expert witness on battered spouse syndrome.
  • Due to repeated defense objections, Brannon was not allowed to speak specifically about Boone’s case and could only speak hypothetically about the diagnosis.
• The jury saw videos from Boone’s phone that showed Torres hitting a television with a baseball bat.
• Pearl Walker, a neighbor at the apartment complex where Boone and Torres lived, testified that she saw Boone with injuries.
• Dr. Julie Harper testified that her analysis determined that Boone had narcissistic personality traits but did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. She also diagnosed Boone with anxiety and PTSD and said the defendant was suffering from battered spouse syndrome at the time of Torres’ death.

DAY 3 – 10/22/24

• Sarah Boone takes the stand in her own defense.
  • Boone described the game of hide-and-seek she played with Torres and explained why she left him zipped up in a suitcase.
  • Boone told the jury, “I was afraid he was going to break out the suitcase” when she hit Torres with a bat.
  • Boone testified about incidents of past violence she allegedly suffered at the hands of Torres.
  • Boone was asked if she had done anything to help Torres get out of the predicament she had gotten him into and replied, “No.”

DAY 2 – 10/21/24

• Prosecutors showed a video of Jorge Torres begging to be released from a suitcase while Sarah Boone taunted him.
• The jury saw Sarah Boone’s police interrogation video.

DAY 1 – 10/18/24

• The prosecution and defense made opening statements.
  • Prosecutor William Jay read a transcript of the video of Jorge Torres in a suitcase in his opening statement.
  • Defense attorney James Owens told the jury that Sarah Boone suffered repeated physical violence at the hands of Jorge Torres and acted to protect herself.
• Vincent Battaglia told the jury that Sarah Boone once told him not to say anything about the arguments he heard through the walls of his home.
• Brian Boone, the defendant’s ex-husband, testified that Sarah called him to tell him that Torres was dead. He advised her to call 911.
• The jury hears Sarah Boone’s 911 call. In the audio recording, Boone can be heard telling the dispatcher that Jorge Torres Jr. is “purple.”
• The jury saw bodycam video of Deputy Kayla Rodriguez responding to Boone’s 911 call.
• Crime scene investigator Melissa Roughgarden shows jurors the suitcase in which Sarah Boone allegedly left Jorge Torres to die.
• WATCH: Suitcase murder trial: Day 1 review