Charged with: 2nd degree murder for the death of her boyfriend Jorge Torres Jr in February 2020.
Manner of death: Homicide, by Asphyxiation in a suitcase after a night of drinking and playing hide and seek. The suitcase was the murder weapon.
The case was delayed for 4yrs after 8 public defenders withdrew from the case after finding it impossible to deal with the defendant for not complying with their legal advice. I believe she was trying to delay the case as long as she could and take control of the legal process. The judge then revoked her right to legal counsel after so many delays and going through so many attorneys. So now, she had to represent herself, which she did in a few pretrial hearings. However, she was still allowed to retain private counsel. After making a handwritten flyer to obtain legal counsel, an attorney named James Owens responded and became her 9th and final lawyer. He only had 45 days to prepare for the trial.
The case started out with multiple pretrial hearings as they usually do. One of the most interesting pretrial hearings was when the defendant wanted certain snacks to eat during the court proceedings including chips, candy, Pop-Tarts, peppermints and juice. I have never seen a request like this before. The judge denied the request claiming that she is provided with sufficient meals like all other inmates and did not have a medical condition that required such snacks. Once again, the defendant was trying to control the direction the trial would go, and the judge wasn’t having it.
Defense: Battered spouse syndrome. Even though they were not married, the defendant claimed that Jorge was abusing her, and she was in fear for her life. Evidence in the trial from police cameras from previous arrests, pictures and interviews both parties were abusive to each other, and it was a very toxic relationship.
Sarah Boone took the stand in her own defense.
Her Story: She and Jorge were together all day drinking and doing a various amount of activities such as art and calling family members. She was planning all the activities they did that day as a way to keep him occupied. Apparently, Jorge tapped her on the shoulder and stated “You’re it”. This meant that they were going to play hide and seek, and she went to go upstairs to hide. She was waiting a long time for him to come find her and when he didn’t, she went back downstairs to see what he was doing. When she went downstairs, she saw Jorge getting into a suitcase. He was only 5’2” and weighed 103 pounds. He was able to fit himself entirely in the suitcase. She then zipped up the suitcase, both laughing that he could actually fit in there. She flipped the suitcase over, so the zipper was then on the bottom. Then she grabbed her phone and started videotaping the incident. She stated since he was now in the suitcase and couldn’t get out, she felt safe enough to talk to him and tell him how she felt when he would do hurtful things to her. She videotaped it so he could watch it at a later time and remember what he had told her. However, this was not a heartfelt conversation.
Most Shocking Evidence: The video tape showed Jorge stating he couldn’t breathe. She stated that this is what he deserved for everything he did to her including cheating on her. Whenever he would say her name, she would say “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out” laughing and taunting him aggressively with profanity. He would again say “I can’t breathe” and her saying “that’s on you”.
She stated she didn’t remember videotaping him. She stated that they started arguing and Jorge tried to get out of the suitcase and his hands were coming out of the suitcase. She was fearful of him getting out of the suitcase and coming after her. So she grabbed a bat and started poking at his hands so they would go back in, which they did. Then she flipped the suitcase back right side up and went upstairs and fell asleep. As long as Jorge was in the suitcase, she felt safe and he couldn’t come after her to kill her. She stated she never thought he couldn’t breathe in the suitcase or that he could die in the suitcase.
The next morning she woke up and went downstairs and found that Jorge was still in the suitcase. She called her ex-husband and asked him to come over and he told her to call the police. She attempted CPR on Jorge and didn’t call police until her ex-husband showed up and told her again to contact the police.
Verdict: Guilty of 2nd degree murder. It only took the jury about 90 minutes to convict her. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec.2, 2024. She previously rejected a plea deal for manslaughter which would have sent her to prison for 15 yrs. With a guilty verdict to 2nd degree murder, she is facing from 22 ½ yrs to life in prison. She is currently appealing her case and asking for a new trial.
Did Justice Prevail? Yes! I believe that justice did prevail. Even though their relationship was toxic and might have been mutually abusive, Jorge did not deserve to die. I don’t believe they were playing hide and seek. I have never heard of adults playing that by themselves. I also don’t believe a person would get into a suitcase to see if they could fit in it. However, being under the influence I guess you never know. However, in the video and in her testimony, she did not seem afraid of Jorge. She seemed very much in control. She didn’t even show any fear when she was retelling her story on the stand. She was emotionless.
As far as the video, it was horrible to watch, and I cringed every time they would show it. It was the crux of the case, and I still hear Jorge’s voice in my head saying he couldn’t breathe. So heartbreaking and terrifying! And even if Jorge would have been able to get out of the suitcase, I doubt he would have gone after her. He would have been struggling to breathe and probably wouldn’t have had the strength to go after her. He probably would have tried to get as far away from her as possible. He didn’t have a weapon. She had a bat. But we will never know. He was left in there to suffocate and die.
Jorge Torres Jr: He was 42 yrs old. He had 3 children. His ex-wife and 2 daughters state he was a very loving man, and he was the real victim in this abusive relationship. His children would talk to him at least 3 times a week on the phone for as long as they could before Sarah would get agitated and he would then get off the phone.
RIP Jorge Torres Jr. Praying for peace for his family.
For more information you can watch the entire case on Court TV
Do you think Justice Prevailed?
Stay tuned for my next case The Delphi murder case.
Did Justice Prevail? 