Sarah Boone’s Bizarre Testimony: Shocking Moments From Her Hours On Stand

Sarah Boone’s hours-long testimony in her murder trial on Tuesday featured chilling recounts of the day her boyfriend died, new details about their relationship and an appearance by the suitcase she’s accused of trapping him in.

Boone, 46, is charged with second-degree murder in the 2020 death of her boyfriend, 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr. She is accused of convincing her boyfriend to get inside a suitcase at a home in Florida, then zipping it shut and refusing to let him out. When she opened the suitcase the next morning, he was dead.

Boone was the first witness called by the defense after prosecutors rested their case on Tuesday. Prosecutors called 14 witnesses to testify, including law enforcement officers, a medical examiner, Torres’ brother, former neighbors of the couple and Boone’s ex-husband.

The trial started began with jury selection on October 14 and opening statements were delivered on Friday.

Prosecutors Pull Out the Suitcase

During cross-examination, Jay showed the suitcase to the jury. Boone was asked to step down from the stand to explain how Torres was positioned in the suitcase.

Boone was then asked to demonstrate how she zipped the suitcase, which she almost did without putting gloves on.

“Hold up, does she need to be wearing gloves?” her lawyer, James Owens, asked.

Orange County Circuit Judge Michael Kraynick said Boone needs to wear gloves if she is going to be manipulating the evidence. Owens helped her get the gloves on and she was then able to finish her demonstration.

‘Enjoying Each Other’s Company’

Boone spoke at length about February 23, 2020, the day Torres died.

“He wanted to start the day off by drinking because it was a day off from his job, and I talked him into cleaning and tidying up the house for a sense of accomplishment,” Boone said.

The two swept, mopped, folded laundry and emptied the dishwasher, according to Boone. After finishing the chores, they decided to “just relax and go with the flow.”

Boone said they went out to purchase a bottle of wine and came back home to sit on the porch.

“We have a dart board that’s out there and we just had drinks and were just really enjoying each other’s company and talking about things upcoming,” Boone said.

When they went back inside, Boone said she worked on a puzzle, painted, danced and listened to music with Torres.

“We ended up finding some channel on the radio and he was feeling,” Boone said. “My one dog gets very active and was dancing with us and we were just having a good time listening to music.”

During cross-examination, Boone claimed Torres had been “angry on and off throughout the entire day.” Assistant State Attorney William Jay challenged Boone’s statement.

“You didn’t tell us that earlier,” Jay said. “You said it was a wonderful, fun day all day.”

Recounting How Torres Got into the Suitcase

Boone claimed that Torres willingly got in the suitcase on his own.

“I zipped him up,” Boone said. “We thought it was funny, and we’re joking about how he was small enough to fit inside of the suitcase.”

She said they were playing a game of hide and seek at the time.

“I guess he knew that I couldn’t come up with anything to else, tapped me on my knee and said, ‘you’re it.’ So from there I ran up the stairs and hid into our shower, just waiting for him to find me,” Boone said.

After a while, Torres had not found Boone, so she decided to come downstairs. That is when she saw Torres getting inside the suitcase.

“He was trying to get himself flat so I couldn’t tell that he in there,” Boone said.

What began as a game eventually took a dark turn, Boone said.

“His tone changed, and I knew the tone, and we ended up, I guess, arguing back and forth with one another,” Boone said.

She said things then became “heated.”

“He continued to push on the suitcase,” Boone said. “And my fear was that he was going to break out of the suitcase, knowing that it was a broken suitcase.”

Boone Felt ‘Safe’ With Torres in Suitcase

Boone said she realized she had an opportunity to speak her mind with Torres inside of the suitcase.

“I went over and decided to videotape to see the, I guess, the jest in it, 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,” Boone said.

She said she intended to show Torres the video the next day.

Owens asked if she could tell that Torres was uncomfortable, Boone responded with, “I’m guessing.” Owens then asked if she wanted Torres to feel some discomfort.

“I did,” Boone said.

Boone Explains Grabbing Baseball Bat

Boone alleged that Torres’ hand started to come out of the suitcase, so she began shaking it. She said she grew nervous about what would happen to her if he were to get out.

“Like he used to tell me, he probably would have made me unrecognizable, or I would have lost my life,” Boone said.

Boone then spotted a baseball bat a few feet away from the suitcase.

“For the split-second reaction that I had, I happened to see that and I grabbed the baseball bat and was trying to poke his hand to go back in, to please don’t break through, please. So I hit his hand,” Boone said.

Owens then took the bat out and asked Boone to describe how she used it.

“I started to push on the suitcase, around it, hoping to have his hand retract and go back inside,” Boone said while demonstrating the motion with her hands.

Boone Was ‘Aghast’ When She Saw the Suitcase

Boone claimed she was “never” trying to kill Torres. She went upstairs and fell asleep later that night.

When she woke up at around noon the next day, she could not find Torres.

“I figured that Jorge was downstairs, either drinking or looking for jobs or may have just left,” Boone said.

She then saw the suitcase and recalled the previous night.

“I was aghast,” Boone said. “I can’t describe the feeling, terror to a certain degree.”

She said she opened the suitcase and began shaking him.

“I pulled him out, and I stretched him out flat and I began instantly trying to do CPR,” Boone said. “And then [I] was trying to look for a pulse or a breath or just anything and was just screaming over and over and over again.”

The ‘Sword Fighting’ Story

Boone also answered questions about previous incidents where Torres allegedly abused her. Owens showed the jury photos of injuries from the alleged violence.

One incident began with Boone cooking a steak dinner for Torres.

“He starts being very rude and cursing the steak and finding fault with it,” Boone said. “And then, you know, I’m having to encourage him to eat.”

She said she continued to ask Torres to eat, but he refused.

“He started to pull on me and kept saying that, ‘I just want to f*** you on the steak and f*** you on the potatoes.’ And I took offense to that,” Boone said.

She said she then tried to crawl off the bed and leave the bedroom.

“He told me again that I’m not going anywhere and he stabbed me in my leg, and it crunched,” Boone said. “You could hear a noise that it made and blood just started to come out of my leg, just like a fountain.”

Boone claimed she asked Torres to call for an ambulance as the wound continued to bleed. The couple eventually decided to drive to the hospital.

“He said that before anything happens, I had to concoct a story in order for him to not be arrested or be in trouble when we did inevitably get to the hospital,” Boone said.

She said she came up with a story that they had been “sword fighting” with the steak knives when he accidentally stabbed her leg. She also showed the jury the area where she had been stabbed.

What’s Next?

The trial resumed on Wednesday. The defense called several experts to the stand Wednesday morning, including law enforcement officers and a psychologist.

Once the defense is done calling witnesses, both sides will deliver closing arguments before the jury is sent to deliberate.

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