Florida Woman Who Killed Boyfriend By Zipping Him In Suitcase Sentenced

Boone, 35, was convicted of second-degree murder for the death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr, 42, back in October.

Before her sentence was handed down yesterday, Boone took the stand and claimed Torres "kicked, punched, spit on, raped, stabbed, [and] choked" her, reportedly adding, "I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster ... and no matter how grotesque he may become, I still loved him, hoped and forgave."

Torres' family also gave victim impact statements, with one of his daughters, Ana Victoria Torres, calling him an "incredible father" whose death has left her "screaming every morning or night wishing I was having a nightmare, only to wake up and remember all over again that my father is gone."

His mother, Blanca Torres, also reportedly said Boone "not only killed my son, she killed a father, a brother, an uncle" -- adding, "Sometimes when I look out the window, I'm waiting for him to come and say, 'Mom, I love you.'"

The victim's sister, Victoria Torres, accused Boone of causing "a lifetime of pain."

Boone was arrested back in 2020 in connection to Torres' death. At the time, she claimed the two were playing a drunken game of hide-and-seek, and that she fell asleep after zipping him into a suitcase. When she awoke the next day, she said, he was dead.

During trial, Boone claimed she acted in self defense and had no intention of killing Torres. The State Attorney, however, said her "testimony was contradicted by statements she made and video evidence showing her mocking the victim as he begged to be released from the suitcase."

Footage from the night of Torres' death from Boone's phone was shown in court, in which the victim was heard saying he couldn't breathe while stuck inside a suitcase. Boone responded by telling him, "That's what you get" and "That's what I feel like when you cheat on me."

"For everything you've done to me. F--k you. F--k you. Stupid," Boone could also be heard saying in one clip, as Torres told her "I can't f--king breathe, Sarah."

While being interrogated by police, Boone claimed she didn't remember making the videos and said she didn't believe Torres Jr. was stuck inside the suitcase when she went upstairs. Per FOX 35, testimony from witnesses for the prosecution claimed Torres' body showed signs of blunt force trauma. Her defense team, meanwhile, alleged Boone suffered from Battered Spouse Syndrome, saying Torres' death was in self-defense.

When Boone took the stand during the trial, she shared her recollection of events of the night of February 23, 2020.

Boone said she and Torres decided to have a night in and were drinking. As they kept drinking, per Boone, they also worked on a puzzle, did some art and listened to music. At that point, she said they were intoxicated, before he tapped her on the knee and said, "You're it," initiating a game of hide and seek. "I looked over and I saw him settling himself in the suitcase," said Boone, "In my head I said, 'Oh man, we're obviously not going to be going to sleep anytime soon.'"

"He was trying to get himself flat so I couldn't tell he was there," she continued. "I zipped him up, we thought it was funny and were joking about how he was small enough to fit inside of the suitcase."

Boone said she moved the suitcase around while he was in it, as the two continued to laugh, before she zipped him up inside. "He thought it was funny," she said, claiming they kept laughing as she did so, before she grabbed her phone to record "for him to understand that right now I feel safe and right now I have the ability to actually speak to you in a manner that normally I would not have the ability to do."

She admitted she was angry and wanted him to feel some "uncomfort." Per Boone, "his tone changed" the longer he was in the suitcase and they began arguing, claiming "the things that [Torres] was saying very much frightened me and cursing at me and threatening me."

She said it "got heated very quickly," before admitting that she then grabbed a baseball bat and "was trying to poke his hand to go back in," saying she "hit his hand" with the bat, causing bruising. When his hand wouldn't retract, she kept poking around the suitcase. Boone said his hand finally went back in and that's when she turned the suitcase upright.

She testified she believed he could breathe inside the suitcase, adding she didn't believe he could die and never wanted to kill him. Then, she went upstairs, called her ex husband and "ended up going to sleep."

"I figured Jorge was downstairs drinking or looking for jobs or may have just left," she said, saying it was "very quiet" when she went downstairs and she began to look for him. "I saw the suitcase and remembered about the night prior and I unzipped the suitcase .... I don't think I've experienced anything like that before. I was aghast and just can't describe the feeling of terror, to a certain degree."

"And he was still in there," she recalled, saying she then unzipped the suitcase fully and began screaming his name and trying to do CRP while checking for a pulse. "He was purple," she said, telling the court she called her ex, told him she thought Torres was dead and asked him to come over.

She also denied putting Torres in the suitcase herself, before pushing it down the stairs.