Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
A Florida woman dubbed her experience of jail 'one of the greatest' in her life shortly before being sentenced to life for the murder of her boyfriend.
In February 2020, Jorge Torres Jr. was found passed away after having been left trapped in a zipped-up suitcase and having suffocated to death.
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In October earlier this year, 47-year-old Sarah Boone from Orange County, Florida, was convicted of second-degree murder.
The crime
A press release from State Attorney Andrew A. Bain details Boone and her partner were allegedly playing a game of hide-and-seek together on February 23.
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Boone claimed Torres 'voluntarily climbed inside a suitcase as part of the game' and she then 'zipped' it closed and 'recorded herself taunting the victim as he asked to be let out of the suitcase'. "She did not and instead went upstairs to sleep," the report states.
Boone then 'discovered' Torres 'unresponsive' and called 911, Torres found by authorities 'lying near the front door of the residence next to a blue suitcase'.
Torres was found to have multiple injuries, which Boone 'denied causing'. During the trial, video footage was played from Boone's phone showing Torres 'frantically pleading to be released while Boone laughed and rebuffed him several times,' Torres telling her he couldn't breathe.
Boone said Torres abused her and her actions were in 'self-defense' and she didn't 'intend to hurt him'.
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However, after a ten-day trial, she was found guilty of second-degree murder and in her final statement before being sentenced to life in prison on Monday (December 2), Boone explained why, despite many thinking jail would be 'one of the worst experiences', it's 'actually been one of [the] greatest' in her life.
Boone's final statement
She continued: "If I were not beaten to death, I was going to work myself to death on the outside and I never had time to get back into my Bible and to pray and to e with the Lord.
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"And being here, incarcerated I have had time to get closer to God, to reacquaint myself to him and realise what it's all about - this is all temporary. And when I say temporary, I don't mean by being set free in jail, or from prison or whoever else, it means being set free and temporary meaning that you work for something higher, you work for God, you strive for your crown to be placed upon by Jesus Christ, by being said, 'You have done well my good and faithful servant.'"
Boone said she's 'always tried to be a good and faithful servant' but has become 'so much more closer to the Lord' since being in jail.
Boone resolved: "It's made me such a better person and I hope I am an example going forward of the Lord's light and can draw many people to me because of it."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.
Topics: Florida, Sex and Relationships, US News, Domestic Abuse, Crime
Poppy Bilderbeck