Sarah Boone stood trial for the murder of her long-term boyfriend, Jorge Torres. She was accused of zipping him up in a suitcase, leaving him to suffocate. Her attorney, James Owen, acknowledged the case would be tough but would do what he could. However, it was not enough. Clear video evidence of the murder was shown to the jury during the trial. Sarah Boone was convicted of second-degree murder, and she was “shocked” to hear the guilty verdict. While her attorney advised her to accept the plea deal of 15 years for manslaughter, she arrogantly declined. Now, she could be facing life in prison.
Arrest and Charges
On February 23, 2020, Sarah Boone and Jorge Torres were having a drunken game night when things took a turn. Boone told the police that they had been drinking a bottle of chardonnay and completing puzzles when they decided to play hide-and-seek. She informed the police that it was a mutual decision for Torres to get into the suitcase. She claimed they thought it would be funny. After zipping him up, Boone made two videos taunting Torres while he pleaded to be let out of the suitcase. She turned in for the night and went to her room to sleep, leaving Torres trapped. When she returned downstairs the next morning, she found Torres dead inside the suitcase.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office conducted several interviews with Boone the day after the murder. They went through the events the night before and searched her phone. After the police found video evidence on Boone’s phone of her actions, she was arrested. The graphic videos showed a thrashing suitcase and Torres’ voice yelling to be let out. He repeatedly said he could not breathe, but Boone did not care. The District Attorney’s Office charged Sarah Boone with second-degree murder in 2020, but her trial did not begin until October 2024.
Suitcase Murderer Hears a Guilty Verdict
Sarah Boone was on trial for murder but still showed up to court each day with a sinister smile on her face. The jury watched first-hand the horrifying videos that Boone recorded on her phone from that night. Torres was seen zipped up in a large blue suitcase, and you can hear him pleading for his life. Torres would plead, saying, ‘I can’t breathe, Sarah.’ Boone would respond with despicable comments such as, ‘Then you should probably shut the f**k up.’ Boone still claimed she feared for her life and felt safer with him inside the suitcase.
Sarah Boone attempted to make her boyfriend seem like an abusive monster towards her. She testified that he was incredibly angry and trying to escape the suitcase. So, she feared what he would do when he got out. She did admit to the court that she wanted Torres to feel what it was like to be in her shoes, to be abused. Boone and Torres’ relationship has a history of violence, and they both have been arrested on battery charges. Whether she was abused or not, the nature of her crime is disgusting. When she reported his death to 911, she was emotionless. She has shown no remorse for the ‘accidental murder’ she was found guilty of.
Final Thoughts
Attorney James Owens admitted, “She nor I were anticipating guilty as charged, you know, we considered that the jury might convict her of a lesser charge,” Owens continued to say, “She was in shock they found her guilty as charged.” The prosecution argued that Boone was not in imminent danger, and she murdered her boyfriend as a form of revenge for the alleged abuse he caused her. Her arrogance, lack of accountability, and lack of remorse have put her in the position she is in today. Sarah Boone’s sentencing is set to take place on December 2, 2024, where she might face life in prison.
