Florida Woman Sentenced to Life in Prison for Second-Degree Murder of Boyfriend in Suitcase Incident

TALLAHASSEE – A Florida woman was sentenced to life in prison Monday after she was found guilty of second-degree murder for zipping her boyfriend in a suitcase, leaving him inside for hours until he died.

Sarah Boone, 47, was found guilty of second-degree murder in October. Prosecutors said she zipped her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., into a suitcase, recording video of herself taunting him before leaving him stuck inside overnight to suffocate and die.

Several of Torres’ family members spoke ahead of the sentencing about the impact of his death. In a tearful statement, his mother, Blanca Torres, said Boone “not only killed my son, she killed a father, a brother, an uncle.”

“Sometimes when I look out the window, I’m waiting for him to come and say, ‘Mum, I love you,’” she said.

Torres’ sister, Victoria Torres, said Boone “has caused a lifetime of pain.”

One of his daughters, Ana Victoria Torres, said the death of her “incredible father” has left her with chronic depression and anxiety. In the first year after his death, she woke up “screaming every morning or night wishing I was having a nightmare, only to wake up and remember all over again that my father is gone,” she said.

Boone also took the stand before the sentencing and described being abused by Torres. During her trial, she and her defense team argued she suffered from “battered spouse syndrome” and she was afraid of Torres, CNN affiliate WESH reported.

She said Monday that Torres “kicked, punched, spit on, raped, stabbed, (and) choked” her, among other forms of abuse.

“I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster,” she said. “And no matter how grotesque he may become, I still loved him, hoped and forgave.”

In February 2020, the couple was drinking alcohol and playing a game of hide-and-seek, according to a news release from State Attorney Andrew Bain.

They thought “it would be funny” to hop in a suitcase as a part of the game, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Boone said Torres voluntarily climbed into the suitcase and she zipped it closed, the news release says. She recorded herself “taunting” Torres as he asked to be let out and then went upstairs to sleep, according to the release.

She thought because two of his fingers stuck out from the suitcase, he would be able to open it, according to the affidavit.

When Boone woke up, she found Torres unresponsive in the suitcase and called 911, according to Bain.