New lawyer pleads self-defense in suitcase murder trial

Did a woman accused of killing her boyfriend in Winter Park by putting him in a suitcase and leaving him to die act in self-defense? That's what Sarah Boone's ninth defense attorney hopes to make at next month's murder trial. Boone is accused of killing her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., in February 2020. The state has obtained video evidence Boone recorded on her phone of Torres in the suitcase before he suffocated. RELATED: Woman recorded her boyfriend's cries for help while he suffocated in suitcase, officials say Boone has pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney James Owens has just 18 days left to prepare for trial after becoming Boone's newest attorney in late August.”Judge, for the record: We are invoking self-defense,” Owens told Judge Michael Kraynick. “We are invoking battered spouse syndrome in conjunction with that defense. Not an accident, as they want to claim.”The prosecution's motion to strike this battered spouse syndrome defense theory includes statements Boone made to Orange County Sheriff's Office investigators.”What was your motive for leaving him in the bag?” a deputy asked Boone. “I had no motivation,” she replied. “Me, him and I were having a great day, fooling around and acting stupid and apparently I went upstairs and did it. I guess, I mean, I didn't. I blame the wine.” Assistant District Attorney William Jay said prosecutors were aware that Boone and Torres had a history of domestic violence, usually “fueled by alcohol,” adding, “That’s not enough for a battered spouse syndrome defense.”Ownes told WESH 2 News outside the courthouse that his team plans to conduct a forensic examination of Boone’s cellphone in hopes of finding more evidence to support their belief that her boyfriend abused her. “The state extracted data from the cellphone and gave it to us,” Owens said, “but that’s not all of it and we rely on what Sarah says into the cellphone. Obviously, it’s her life, her cellphone.”Judge Kraynick did not issue a ruling from the bench Thursday afternoon, but said he will issue a written order shortly on whether the battered spouse syndrome defense will be admissible at trial. The trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 7.Related: Woman accused in Central Florida suitcase murder gets job posting for new attorneyMore: Florida woman accused of leaving boyfriend in suitcase to die gets access to boxes of evidence against her