A Florida woman will never walk free again after suffocating her boyfriend to death in a suitcase while playing hide-and-seek.
Orange County Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick handed Sarah Boone, 47, a life term in prison for the suffocating death of her 42-year-old Jorge Torres. After 90 minutes of deliberation, Boone was found guilty and convicted by a jury of second-degree murder.
On the morning of Feb. 24, 2020, officers responded to the couple's Winter Park residence after receiving a 911 distress call from the defendant. Upon arrival, they found Torres unresponsive and pronounced him dead at the scene.
According to prosecutors, on Feb. 23, 2020, Boone and Torres had been intoxicated while playing hide-and-seek. Then, the couple thought it could be funny if Torres, who was about 5 feet 2 inches tall, could fit in a suitcase. Soon after, the victim voluntarily climbed into the suitcase, and Boone zipped him up. The defendant told authorities she had forgotten Torres in the suitcase and went to sleep, believing the victim was capable of setting himself free from the zipped suitcase.
During the trial, Boone claimed the fatal incident was due to self-defense. The defendant testified she had suffered abuse at the hands of Torres, who had allegedly beaten, raped, and stabbed her in the past. However, Investigators found video footage on Boone’s phone that showed Torres begging to be released and telling Boone he couldn’t breathe. The victim had successfully placed his hands outside of the suitcase when Boones picked up a baseball bat and hit Torres until he withdrew his hands.
“Yeah that’s what you do when you choke me. Oh, that’s what I feel like when you cheat on me,” said Boone on the video, reported AP.
Boone had turned down a plea bargain to serve 15 years for a lower charge of manslaughter contingent upon the defendant accepting responsibility for the homicide and expressing remorse. Hence, prosecutors asked the judge for the maximum sentence applicable, and the judge agreed.
Boone’s defense team petitioned the court for a new trial, claiming prosecutorial misconduct. Kraynick denied the request.
“Everyone had to sit through her very long rant. She victimized not only the victim but also the family, the prosecutors and the cops. How about just saying you screwed up? That would have maybe gotten her closer to the minimum sentence,” said a criminal justice lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, according to News Nation.
Leave a Reply