Court finds Florida 'suitcase killer' guilty after she put boyfriend in case and left

Sarah Boone was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Jorge Torres, four years after her initial arrest in the case. She could spend the rest of her life in prison

A woman who left her boyfriend to die after zipping him into a suitcase in their home has been found guilty of murder by a jury. Sarah Boone was arrested four years ago for the death of Jorge Torres, and on Friday evening, after 90 minutes of deliberation, the jury delivered their verdict against her.

Despite entering a not guilty plea throughout the trial, 47-year-old Florida woman Boone was convicted of second-degree murder. Boone initially told detectives from the Orange County Sheriff's Office that she and Torres had been playing hide-and-seek on February 23, 2020, at their shared home.

They thought it would be amusing for Torres to get into the suitcase while they were drinking, the killer alleged. She decided to go to sleep, assuming her boyfriend could escape the suitcase on his own, according to an arrest report after the crime.

The next morning, Boone woke up and couldn't find Torres. She then remembered he was in the suitcase. Upon unzipping the suitcase, she discovered him unresponsive.

Boone was charged with murder after detectives found videos on her mobile phone showing Torres yelling from inside the suitcase that he couldn't breathe and repeatedly calling out Boone's name, according to the arrest report.

During her trial, Boone testified that previous violent incidents between her and Torres led her to perceive a threat of imminent harm. She claimed she acted in self-defence by keeping him in the suitcase.

"Yeah that's what you do when you choke me," Boone remarked in a grim cell phone recording from the fateful evening, as per the arrest report. "Oh, that's what I feel like when you cheat on me."

In court, Boone revealed how she had stood over her boyfriend with a bat, fearing violence if he should get up.

The autopsy unveiled that Torres bore scratch marks on his back and neck, plus bruises to his shoulder, skull and forehead consistent with blunt force trauma, including a gash near his split lip.

Since her arrest, Boone has cycled through multiple lawyers, adding to the protracted wait for her trial, which unfolded over 10 gruelling days. She awaits her sentence on December 2, where she could be facing spending the rest of her life behind bars.