Sarah Boone 'shocked' by conviction for murder in friend's suitcase death, lawyer says

Trial against Sarah Boone: Jurors reach a verdict within an hour

Sarah Boone was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend Jorge Torres in February 2020. The jury took just over an hour to reach a unanimous verdict.

While Sara Boonen didn’t seem to show much emotion after a jury found her guilty of murder in the second degree According to her lawyer, when her boyfriend Jorge Torres died, she was shocked by the verdict.

Florida attorney James Owens told reporters outside the courthouse that Boone was “in shock” by the conviction.

“Just shocked. She’s shocked. She felt like she could defend herself… so she’s just in shock,” Owens said.

It took a six-member jury less than 90 minutes to make a decision in the case. In addition to the second-degree murder charge, jurors could have also considered lesser charges of manslaughter or culpable negligence, or found her not guilty.

Torres’ family attended the trial. They have not commented on the trial or the verdict.

Sarah Boone’s lawyer responds to guilty verdict: ‘Disappointed’

Attorney James Owens, who represented Sarah Boone during her murder trial, told reporters that he was “disappointed” in the jury’s guilty verdict but that he respected the jury’s decision. He admitted that the state had strong evidence, but felt that he and his team also had strong evidence. He said Boone was “shocked” by the guilty verdict of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres. Owens was the ninth attorney to represent Boone. Boone previously went through eight court-appointed attorneys, all of whom withdrew due to disagreements with Boone or conflicts of interest.

Boone told police and jurors during the trial that she and Torres were drinking that night and decided to play a game of hide and seek. Torres thought it would be “funny” to climb into the trunk, Boone testified. She zipped him into the suitcase and left him there, despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Two videos recorded by Boone captured Torres’ pleas and Boone mocking him. Boone went to bed and found Torres unresponsive the next morning.

Sarah Boone describes a deadly game of hide and seek

Live video feed of the Sarah Boone trial. Sarah Boone is accused of killing her boyfriend Jorge Torres in February 2020 by zipping him into a suitcase during a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Torres was found dead in the suitcase the next day. Sarah Boone claims Torres’ death was in self-defense.

It took four years before it came to court. Boone went through eight court-appointed attorneys before a judge ruled that Boone had lost her right to additional counsel. James Owens then decided to represent Boone pro bono.

Boone’s sentencing is scheduled for December 2024.

Owens described Boone as a “fighter” and said he expected her to appeal her conviction. However, he will not represent her in her appeal, he said.

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