ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orlando woman who was arrested in 2020, accused of leaving her boyfriend to die of asphyxiation in a zipped suitcase as he called out for her, saw her case continued Friday morning at another pretrial hearing in Orange County court.
Sarah Boone, 45, has since pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder that she faces in the death of 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr.
An earlier status hearing in January saw a possible trial moved from an expected Jan. 30 start date. Boone’s attorney, Frank Bankowitz, appeared virtually and said that he had recently contracted COVID-19.
This time, Boone’s defense has requested the Justice Administrative Commission (JAC) pay for an expert they plan to use for Boone’s “battered spouse defense,” as she has alleged domestic violence was an aspect of her relationship with Torres. Judge Wayne Wooten set Boone’s next pretrial hearing for Sept. 20, with the trial period to begin Oct. 2, and a separate hearing on the JAC request is scheduled for Sept. 18.
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Boone on Feb. 24, 2020, called deputies to an apartment along Frantz Lane in Winter Park to report that Torres was dead, according to an arrest affidavit.
She told investigators that she and Torres were drinking wine, painting and assembling a puzzle the night before, claiming they had agreed it would be “funny” if the two played “hide-n-seek.” Boone said the game ended with Torres zipped in a suitcase and her asleep upstairs, according to authorities.
Boone located Torres dead the next day, her arrest affidavit states. Deputies said they found the victim’s body lying near the suitcase and front door of the residence.
Boone signed off on papers allowing investigators to search her phone, according to the affidavit.
One of two videos that were highlighted by the sheriff’s office, recorded at 11:12 p.m., allegedly showed the suitcase facing down in the living room, moving as Torres pushed around in an attempt to escape. Torres could reportedly be heard repeatedly calling out to Boone as she laughed at and taunted him, deputies said.
“For everything you’ve done to me. (Expletive) you. Stupid,” Boone said, according to the affidavit.
“I can’t (expletive) breathe, seriously,” Torres replied.
“Yeah that’s what you do when you choke me,” Boone could reportedly be heard saying.
In the other video, recorded at 8:20 p.m., the suitcase was seen facing up in a different part of the living room, deputies said.
Boone drove herself to the sheriff’s office on Feb. 25, 2020, for a follow-up interview, during which she was shown the first video mentioned.
She wished to not finish watching the video about halfway through, deputies said. She reportedly told investigators it looked “bad,” but she denied intentionally leaving Torres in the suitcase and, when she was asked why she never checked on him or let him out prior to falling asleep, Boone reportedly said, “I don’t know.”
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for updates.
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