Suitcase murder: Sarah Boone's trial begins next week

ORLANDO, Fla. – A high-profile murder trial in Orange County is set to begin next week as Sarah Boone faces charges for allegedly killing her boyfriend by trapping him in a suitcase and leaving him to die.

On February 25, 2020, Boone, then 42, was arrested by Orange County officials after investigators said her boyfriend, 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr., died after being stuffed into the suitcase and left inside for hours . The incident reportedly occurred at the couple's home in Winter Park, near Aloma Avenue and Goldenrod Road.

According to investigators, Boone told them that she and Torres had been drinking wine and playing hide-and-seek when she claimed she went upstairs and passed out in her bed.

She said she woke up hours later to her cell phone ringing several times. She then reportedly realized her boyfriend might still be in the suitcase, and when she unzipped it, she found Torres unresponsive and not breathing. Boone said she called 911 and officers arrived and found Torres dead.

Investigators presented Boone with video evidence reportedly taken from her phone that shows Torres begging to be let out of the suitcase. In the footage, Torres can be heard saying, “I can't breathe, baby,” to which Boone allegedly responded, “That's what you do when you suffocate me.”

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Time-stamped video from the night of the incident shows the suitcase being turned over – a detail Boone admitted during questioning.

Investigators found two empty wine bottles at Boone's home with receipts showing they were purchased on the day of the alleged murder. Boone told investigators she “blamed the wine” and couldn’t remember the video because of the alcohol consumption.

According to the coroner, Torres, who has a history of domestic violence arrests, suffered injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. Boone has denied physically harming him and insisted she didn't want to leave him in the suitcase.

According to arrest documents, Boone said Torres, her boyfriend of three and a half years, thought it would be funny to get into the suitcase and she put it in there as a joke before she fell asleep.

“I came downstairs and thought, oh damn, he's still in the suitcase. That’s when I found him and took him with me,” Boone told investigators.

Boone's ex-husband, whom she called to their home after discovering Torres' body, told officers that she had a drinking problem and that the couple's relationship was turbulent.

“He was arrested at least five times for domestic violence against her,” her ex-husband said in the video.

In body camera footage worn by a police officer, Boone can be heard asking what they would say to Torres' family and expressing fear that they would blame her.

“They're going to think I killed him,” Boone said, to which a deputy replied, “That's what they always said.”

Boone's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 7.

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