A late night, a locked suitcase, and the phone videos that captured everything.
- Strange Case Files
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The Suitcase Death: The Case of Sarah Boone
Opening
It started as an ordinary night inside a small apartment in Winter Park, Florida. Two people drinking wine. A quiet evening at home. Nothing that suggested one of them would not be alive by morning.
By the next day, Jorge Torres Jr. was found dead, zipped inside a suitcase. And the person who put him there was the only one in the apartment.
The Relationship
Sarah Boone and Jorge Torres Jr. had been in a turbulent relationship for years. Police records show repeated domestic calls involving both of them, often linked to alcohol and arguments. Friends and neighbors described the relationship as volatile, with frequent disputes and reconciliations.
By February 2020, the couple were living together in Boone’s apartment.
The Night Everything Changed
On the night of February 23, 2020, Boone and Torres spent the evening drinking wine and doing puzzles. Later, Boone told police they began playing what she described as a game of hide and seek.
At some point, Torres climbed inside a blue suitcase in the living room.
Boone zipped it shut.
She later claimed she believed he could get himself out.
The Videos
What Boone did not initially mention was that she recorded two videos on her phone while Torres was inside the suitcase.
In the videos, Torres can be heard struggling and telling Boone that he could not breathe. He repeatedly calls her name and asks for help. The suitcase shifts as he tries to push his way out from the inside.
Boone responds from off camera. Her voice is calm. At times, she references past arguments and alleges that Torres had abused her before, including choking her. She also accuses him of cheating. Torres continues to say he cannot breathe and asks to be let out. Boone does not unzip the suitcase.
These videos would become the most important evidence in the entire case.
The Morning Discovery
The next morning, Boone called 911 and told dispatchers she had found her boyfriend unresponsive inside the suitcase.
First responders arrived and confirmed Torres was deceased.
The medical examiner later ruled his death a homicide, caused by suffocation and compression while trapped inside the suitcase.
Boone’s Explanation
Boone told investigators the entire situation was an accident.
She said:
They were playing a game.
She did not think he was in danger.
She went upstairs and fell asleep.
She maintained that she never intended for him to die.
The Charge
Investigators disagreed.
After reviewing the phone videos, Boone was arrested and charged with second degree murder. Prosecutors argued that the recordings showed Boone was aware Torres was in distress and chose not to help him.
In their view, this was not negligence. It was intentional confinement that resulted in death.
The Trial
The case went to trial in 2024, more than four years after Torres died.
Jurors watched the videos in court. They listened to Torres plead for air. They heard Boone’s responses. They were shown the suitcase itself.
Boone did not deny recording the videos. Her defense focused on intoxication, relationship history, and her claim that she never expected the situation to turn fatal.
The Verdict
In October 2024, the jury found Sarah Boone guilty of second degree murder.
She was later sentenced to life in prison.
Before trial, Boone had reportedly rejected a plea deal that would have resulted in a significantly shorter sentence.
After the Conviction
Since the verdict, Boone has remained in custody and has begun the appeal process. Court filings and media reports indicate repeated changes in appellate attorneys and ongoing legal disputes over representation.
As of the most recent verified reporting, her conviction stands and no appellate court has overturned or modified the sentence.
Closing Reflection
This case is not remembered because of mystery or missing evidence.
It is remembered because the final moments were recorded.
There was no need to reconstruct what happened. The jury heard it unfold in real time. A man trapped. A voice asking for help. And a silence that followed.
In the end, the suitcase was not just evidence. It became the symbol of a crime that unfolded slowly, deliberately, and in full view of a phone camera that never stopped recording.
A Grieving Mother Killed Her Daughter's Killer
Comments