Woman zipped boyfriend in suitcase for hours and taunted him as he died agonising death

Sarah Boone was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the killing of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., in February 2020. Boone, 26, was found guilty of second-degree murder after a trial in December

Sarah Boone maintained the tragic death of her boyfriend Jorge Torres Jr. was accidental, stemming from a game gone horribly wrong.

The grim details of Jorge's final moments, however, were exposed through footage recorded on Boone's own mobile phone. She had initially claimed they were playing hide-and-seek when she "accidentally" locked him inside a suitcase.

In reality, as officials would discover, she observed as he suffered a painful death, a scene which shocked the responding police officers. Furthering their horror was the discovery of the explicit footage on Boone's phone, showing her mocking Jorge while he was trapped inside the suitcase, fully aware that he was dying.

Prosecutors argued that Sarah Boone secured Jorge Torres Jr. in a suitcase, verbally abused him, and then left him there through the night, eventually leading to his death. CNN conveyed that Boone woke to find Torres lifeless in the suitcase after he asphyxiated, at which point she phoned 911.

In February 2020, the couple was indulging in alcohol and playing a game of hide-and-seek, said State Attorney Andrew Bain. Reports suggest Torres, from Florida, willingly climbed into the suitcase before Boone zipped it up, reports the Mirror US.

The idea of hopping into a suitcase as part of the game seemed amusing to them, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Boone believed that since two of Torres' fingers were sticking out of the suitcase, he would be able to unzip it, as stated in the same affidavit.

However, videos discovered on Boone's phone, which showed Torres "desperately begging to be let out while Boone laughed and dismissed him multiple times", were presented during the trial, as revealed by Bain's office press release.

The release further detailed: "In the videos she recorded, the victim could be heard telling the defendant he could not breathe and asking to be let out of the suitcase," with "Boone responding with, 'That's what you get,' 'That's what I feel like when you cheat on me' and other taunts.

"I can't f***ing breathe, seriously," her boyfriend exclaimed in the phone video - as per the release. Footage displayed Torres struggling in the suitcase and trying to escape - the affidavit noted.

Boone defended herself on the stand for roughly five hours, WESH, a CNN affiliate, reports. When prodded by the prosecution about why she didn't unzip the suitcase, Boone stated, "I wanted him to try to understand how I felt so maybe he could progress and be a better person," as WESH detailed.

Before sentencing, Boone testified, relaying the abuse she endured from Torres. Her defence cast her as suffering from "battered spouse syndrome", fearing Torres, according to WESH.

She claimed Torres "kicked, punched, spit on, raped, stabbed, (and) choked" her among various abuses. Boone confessed, "I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster. And no matter how grotesque he may become, I still loved him, hoped and forgave."

CNN reported that during the trial, several family members of the victim delivered impact statements. Emotionally, his mother, Blanca Torres, expressed to the court that 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, 'Mom, I love you,'".

Victoria Torres, sister of the victim, stated that Boone "has caused a lifetime of pain."

In the first year following his death, one of his daughters, Ana Victoria Torres, revealed she woke up screaming every morning, hoping it was all a nightmare, only to face the harsh reality that her father was no longer there.

Boone sought a new trial at the beginning of November, according to court documents. The request, which cited alleged prosecutorial misconduct and other grievances about the trial, was rejected by Judge Michael Kraynick.

He referenced "the court's review of the record, the court's participation in the trial and review of all the evidence of the court's prior findings and rulings at trial."

Following her conviction, Boone's lawyer said his client was "shocked" and her team was "very disappointed," as reported by WESH.