Woman jailed for life for killing boyfriend by zipping him inside suitcase and leaving him to suffocate

3 December 2024, 14:30

Sarah Boone, 47, of Florida was sentenced by Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick on Monday
Sarah Boone, 47, of Florida was sentenced by Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick on Monday. Picture: Alamy

By Will Conroy

A woman has been jailed for life for zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase and leaving him inside for hours until he died of suffocation.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Sarah Boone, 47, of Florida was sentenced by Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick on Monday in Orlando for the killing of 42-year-old Jorge Torres in February 2020.

Boone was charged with second-degree murder after an investigation found videos on her phone in which she is taunting Torres, who is in the suitcase and can be heard yelling her name and saying he couldn’t breathe, according to the arrest report.

“Yeah that’s what you do when you choke me,” Boone said in one of the videos from that night, according to the arrest report. “Oh, that’s what I feel like when you cheat on me.”

Prosecutor William Jay said in a court filing: “She decided to keep (Torres) in the suitcase when he said he could not breathe in it to terrorize him. She then struck him with a baseball bat.”

The 47-year-old was convicted in October after a jury deliberation of just 90 minutes
The 47-year-old was convicted in October after a jury deliberation of just 90 minutes. Picture: Alamy

The 47-year-old was convicted in October after a jury deliberation of just 90 minutes following a 10-day trial.

She had insisted she was herself a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Torres and claimed that past violent incidents caused her to perceive a threat of imminent harm meaning she acted in self-defense.

Boone rejected a plea offer from prosecutors that would have imposed a 15-year prison sentence in exchange for her guilty plea to a reduced manslaughter charge.

Read more: New twist in hunt for missing Hannah Kobayashi as police reveal CCTV captured photographer entering Mexico

Read more: Schoolgirl, 8, dies after being 'stabbed in the neck while protecting her mother' as fight with 'intruder' spilled onto street

Torres' family members testified at the hearing with his sister Victoria saying: “Sarah deserves to rot in jail… (She) has caused a lifetime of pain."

Despite accusing Torres of repetitive abuse and complaining about the way the trial was handled, Boone also asked for forgiveness from Torres’ family in her own statement.

“I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster. I tried breaking the spell ... I never stopped loving him," said Boone, who has been in jail for 58 months.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Forgive me Jorge. Forgive me Torres family.”

Boone demonstrates how she zipped her boyfriend into the actual suitcase for the jury during the trial
Boone demonstrates how she zipped her boyfriend into the actual suitcase for the jury during the trial. Picture: Alamy

At first, Boone told Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigators that she and Torres had been drinking heavily and playing hide-and-seek in their Winter Park, Florida, residence.

She said they thought it would be amusing for the 103-pound (47-kilogram) Torres to climb into the suitcase.

She decided to go to sleep, figuring that Torres could get out of the suitcase on his own, she told detectives in an arrest report.

She said when she woke up the next morning, she didn’t find Torres but then remembered he was in the suitcase and found him unresponsive, the arrest report said.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has passed half a million for the first time, figures show.

True scale of Britain's shoplifting epidemic: Police record more than 500,000 cases in a year for the first time

Exclusive
A senior officer within London’s Metropolitan Police has suggested there are not enough officers on the beat on Saturdays.

Top cop questions whether Met has enough officers on duty on Saturdays as he makes comparison to busy retailers

Leah Harrison died on a school trip

Girl, 10, swept away to her death by mudslide 'which came out of nowhere' on school trip

Exclusive
Lucy Issac (pictured) and her unborn's son life were at risk when she underwent an operation to have her womb removed

Miracle of baby 'born twice' after mother undergoes life-saving womb operation

St Nicholas Church in Pluckley. A series of tantalising mysteries associated with the "most haunted" village in England has been solved by a university academic.

Revealed: Researchers uncover truth about England's 'most haunted' village

Inmates clean a wing inside the Young Offenders Institution on Portland in Dorset England.

Pepper spray to be used in young offender institutions as violence against staff 14 times higher than adult prisons

US President Donald Trump has said he has sued the law firm that handed Hilary Clinton's campaign a dossier on his links to Russia.

Trump says he is suing a US law firm that handed Hilary Clinton campaign a dossier on US President's links to Russia

A teenage girl using a blue asthma inhaler. Health chiefs have warned users about relying on them

Health chiefs issue warning to anyone who users an asthma inhaler

Knife offence takes place every 30 minutes in London (file image)

Knife offence takes place every 30 minutes in London, official figures show

Lucas Akins (7 Mansfield) looks on during the Sky Bet League 1 match between Cambridge United and Mansfield Town at the Cledara Abbey Stadium, Cambridge on Saturday 25th January 2025. (Photo: Kevin Hodgson | MI News)

Footballer jailed after mowing down cyclist in high-powered Mercedes while taking his daughter to piano class

Students cry and embracing each other at the high school Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides after the attack.

One student dead and at least three injured in knife attack at French secondary school

Pilgrims and the faithful queue inside St. Peter's Basilica and pay  their respects to the late Pope Francis, on April 24, 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican.

Pope was found unresponsive ‘with eyes open’ as doctor reveals Pontiff’s heartbreaking last regret

Sign at the headquarters for DEFRA Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs London UK

Civil servant who ‘held down three full-time government jobs simultaneously’ denies nine counts of fraud

Jamie Vardy kisses the Premier league trophy after winning with Leicester City in 2016.

Jamie Vardy to leave Leicester City after 13 years at the club

Paddington The Musical will have its world premiere at London's Savoy Theatre on 1 November 2025.

From deepest darkest Peru to the West End: Paddington The Musical to get autumn premiere

People camp outdoors following an earthquake shook Istanbul and other areas of Turkey on Wednesday

Istanbul residents spend the night outdoors after city shaken by 6.2 magnitude earthquake