Florida woman convicted in suitcase murder trial sentenced to life in prison

A Florida woman convicted of murdering her longtime boyfriend by zipping him inside of a suitcase and leaving him to die was sentenced to spend rest of her life behind bars.
In Oct., Sarah Boone was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Jorge Torres Jr., who was found dead inside a suitcase inside the couple’s shared apartment on the morning of Feb. 24, 2020. Before her sentencing, Boone’s motion for a new trial was denied before she was sentenced to life in prison.
In a series of interviews at the scene and the next day at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Boone told investigators that Torres had willingly gotten into the suitcase while the couple was playing hide-and-seek after a night of drinking.
Key evidence in the prosecutor’s case included two videos found on Boone’s phone that were recorded while Torres was in the suitcase. The videos showed the victim begging to be let out, with Boone laughing and taunting him. Boone told police she went up to bed shortly after the videos were taken and fell asleep, leaving Torres inside the luggage.
Boone was represented at trial by James Owens, her ninth attorney in the case, who volunteered to step in as her lawyer after Judge Michael Kraynick ruled she had forfeited her right to an attorney. That ruling followed eight other attorneys withdrawing from the case, citing Boone’s behavior as an issue. Boone was vocal about her own defense, writing a number of letters to the judge and even creating an advertisement for a lawyer that eventually caught Owens’ attention.
Owens had filed an intent to use battered spouse syndrome as a defense in the case, and cited years of domestic abuse and arrests in Boone and Torres’ relationship.
Days before her trial began, Boone rejected a plea offer from prosecutors that would have sent her to prison for 15 years for pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Boone offered an apology as she addressed the court at her sentencing: “I hope that everyone can forgive me, the Torres family most of all.”