A Florida woman was found guilty of manslaughter on Friday after authorities said she zipped her boyfriend into a suitcase and left him for dead in 2020.
Sarah Boone, now 47, told authorities her boyfriend got stuck in a suitcase and died during a game of hide-and-seek, court records show. The Florida couple had been drinking chardonnay and doing puzzles at their Winter Park apartment.
They thought it “would be funny” to jump into a suitcase during the game, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
When Boone zipped Jorge Torres Jr., 42, into a blue suitcase, two of his fingers stuck out so she assumed he could open it, according to the affidavit.
She went upstairs to bed and thought he would come out of the suitcase and join her, but woke up to find him still in there and not breathing, the affidavit said.
“The evidence presented at trial included videos found on Boone's phone, in which Torres could be heard frantically pleading for release as Boone laughed and rebuffed him several times,” according to a statement from State's Attorney Andrew Bain's office.
“In the videos she recorded, the victim could be heard telling the defendant that he could not breathe and asking to be let out of the suitcase,” the statement said. “Boone responded with, 'That's what you get,' 'That's how I feel when you cheat on me,' and other taunts.”
“I can't fucking breathe, seriously,” her friend said in the phone video.
The video shows Torres pushing on the suitcase and trying to get out, the affidavit said.
During the 10-day trial, Boone's defense said she was suffering from “Battered Spouse Syndrome” and feared for her life, CNN affiliate WFTV reported. Boone also testified that she thought Torres could get out of the suitcase, the affiliate said.
She testified in her own defense for nearly five hours, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
Boone's attorney said they were very disappointed after the verdict, while Torres' family was emotional and refused to speak to the media, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
“Just shocking. She's shocked, you know,” James Owens said, according to WESH. “She felt like she had, as you know, a defense.”
Boone will be sentenced on Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m., according to the prosecutor's office.
CNN's Faith Karimi contributed to this report.
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