Jury finds Florida woman who trapped boyfriend in suitcase guilty of murder

A 42-year-old Orlando woman is accused of zipping her boyfriend inside a suitcase and leaving him to die inside, according to an Orange County arrest affidavit. (ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Florida woman left her live-in boyfriend inside a suitcase, grabbed a bat, and hit him as hard as she could, police said.

Jorge Torres’s final moments were on video. He shouts, “Sarah, I can’t breathe, babe!” She responds, “That’s on you!” The medical examiner said Torres died of suffocation in Winter Park. He was 42.

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Sarah Boone called 911 on Feb. 24, 2020, and claimed it was accidental. During her trial in Orange County, her defense alleged she feared for her life, she was suffering from “battered spouse syndrome,” and there was evidence of the couple’s history of domestic violence.

On Friday night, the jury found Boone, 47, guilty of second-degree murder. Boone testified during her trial and tried to explain why she zipped the suitcase and refused to help him out overnight.

“I wanted him to try to understand how I felt so maybe he could progress and be a better person,” Boone said in court.

Boone used her phone to record the two videos the prosecution entered into evidence and the jurors watched during the trial. Court TV reported jury deliberations Friday lasted less than two hours. The Orlando Sentinel reported it took jurors about 90 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict.

Boone’s sentencing is at 1:30 p.m., on Dec. 2.

ABC News Orlando-area affiliate WFTV contributed to this report.

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About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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