A woman from Florida has been given a life sentence after she was implicated in the death of her boyfriend, who was found suffocated inside a suitcase. This tragic incident, which stems from a history of domestic violence and substance abuse, concluded with a court ruling on Monday in Orlando against Sarah Boone, 47, for the homicide of 42-year-old Jorge Torres in 2020.

In a trial that lasted ten days, a jury took just 90 minutes to reach a verdict of guilty for second-degree murder, delivered on October 25. Throughout the trial, Boone maintained that she was a victim in the relationship, suggesting that Torres had abused her, and she also declined a plea deal that would have sentenced her to 15 years in prison.

Family members of the deceased voiced their anguish during the sentencing, revealing how Torres’ death has impacted their lives. Victoria Torres, Jorge’s sister, expressed profound anger towards Boone, stating, “Sarah deserves to rot in jail. Sarah has caused a lifetime of pain.”

In her statement, Boone outlined an extensive account of mistreatment by Torres over the years. She criticized how her trial was portrayed in the media, yet she expressed remorse for her actions. Boone stated, “I forgive myself for falling in love with a monster. I tried breaking the spell … I never stopped loving him.” After spending 58 months in custody, she reflected on her regret and pleaded for forgiveness from both Torres and his family.

Initially, Boone reported to law enforcement that the couple had been drinking heavily and playing hide-and-seek in their Winter Park, Florida, home on February 23, 2020. She claimed that it was meant to be a joke when Torres crawled into the suitcase, weighing only 103 pounds (47 kilograms). Boone then decided to sleep, assuming that he would be able to exit the suitcase when he wished.

Upon awakening the following day, Boone discovered Torres was missing, only to remember he was still inside the suitcase. When she unzipped it, she found him unresponsive, according to the police report.

The investigation took a significant turn when detectives uncovered videos on Boone’s cellphone showing Torres calling for help from inside the suitcase, struggling for breath and repeatedly shouting Boone’s name. Prosecutor William Jay stated, “She decided to keep (Torres) in the suitcase when he said he could not breathe in it to terrorize him,” and also noted that Boone had assaulted Torres with a baseball bat.

Despite the evidence, Boone turned down a plea bargain from the prosecution that would have offered her a reduced manslaughter charge with a 15-year sentence. During her testimony, she argued that her prior experiences with Torres made her feel threatened, insisting that it was self-defense that led her to confine him in the suitcase.

Boone recounted that she’d often felt choked and betrayed by Torres’ actions, highlighting her perception of danger in their volatile relationship, which played a pivotal role in how she claims she responded that fateful night.