A Florida woman has been found guilty of second-degree murder after her boyfriend suffocated to death in a suitcase during what she claimed was a game of hide-and-seek gone wrong.
Sarah Boone, 47, told investigators that she and her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., had been drinking on the night of February 23, 2020, when Torres jokingly climbed into a suitcase. Boone zipped him inside, but claimed they were both laughing and that she believed he could get out on his own.
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However, prosecutors argued that Boone knew Torres couldn’t escape and that her actions led to his death. A jury agreed, convicting her of second-degree murder.
During the trial, a disturbing video recorded by Boone on her cellphone was shown in court. In the video, Torres can be heard repeatedly pleading that he couldn’t breathe, while Boone can be heard laughing and taunting him.
Boone testified that she and Torres had argued after she stopped filming and that she feared he would become violent if he escaped the suitcase. She admitted to hitting his hand with a baseball bat to force it back inside.
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Torres’ autopsy revealed bruising on his hand, contusions on his skull, and a “busted” lip. Despite this evidence, Boone maintained that she never intended to kill Torres and didn’t believe he could die inside the suitcase.
Boone now faces up to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced in early December.
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