Jury Convicts Woman Who Zipped Boyfriend Into Suitcase

UPDATE Oct 26, 2024 2:40 PM CDT

A Florida jury has convicted a woman accused of zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase in 2020, where he eventually suffocated. Sarah Boone was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder in the death of Jorge Torres Jr., WESH reports. Defense lawyers argued that Boone suffers from "battered spouse syndrome" and feared Torres would kill her if she let him out of the suitcase. Prosecutors said she was not in imminent danger from Torres and wanted to kill him for events in the past, including hitting Boone with a curtain rod. Her lawyer said Boone thought she had a defense, "so she just in shock." Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Feb 26, 2020 10:35 AM CST

A woman zipped her boyfriend in a suitcase, ignored his pleas for help as she berated him with allegations of abuse and cheating, and ultimately left him to die, according to police in Florida. Sarah Boone—arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder in the Monday death of Jorge Torres, Jr.—instead claims the death came as a result of a hide-and-seek game gone wrong. Boone, of the Orlando suburb of Winter Park, told authorities that the pair, both 42, had been drinking before she put Torres in the suitcase as a joke, per NBC News. She said she passed out before waking hours later to find her boyfriend unresponsive in the confined space. Authorities responding to her 911 call around 1pm confirmed Torres, who had a bruised eye and cut on his lip, had died, per WKMG.

Two videos found on Boone's cellphone, which she allowed authorities to search, dispute her "inconsistent" account, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. In one video, Torres is heard screaming Boone's name, deputies said, per Fox News. The other video shows the suitcase in a different position, reportedly facing downward. "I can't f---ing breathe, seriously," Torres is heard saying, according to an arrest report. "Yeah, that's what you do when you choke me ... That's what I feel like when you cheat on me," Boone allegedly responded. "For everything you've done to me, f--- you," she reportedly added while laughing. At one point, she allegedly told Torres to "shut the f--- up." An autopsy is pending. (There's been a guilty plea in this suitcase murder.)