By KATIE McLAUGHLIN
WINTER PARK, Fla. (Court TV) — The murder trial of a Florida woman accused of zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase, recording his cries for help on her phone and leaving him there to die has been delayed once more.
Sarah Boone, who is charged in the death of her boyfriend, who was found dead inside a suitcase, appears in court for a pre-trial hearing on March 31, 2023. (Court TV)
Sarah Boone is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr. Her trial is now scheduled for October 2, and that’s because the defense team is preparing to present an expert witness to testify about what is sometimes referred to as “battered wife syndrome,” which is the defense that Boone is planning to use.
Boone’s defense team has announced that they intend to prove that their client suffered violence at the hands of Torres.
WATCH: Graphic Video: Sarah Boone’s Boyfriend Begs to Be Released From Suitcase
On February 25, 2020, Boone was arrested after Torres’s body was discovered in a zipped-up suitcase at the couple’s Winter Park apartment.
Boone told police that she and Torres had been drinking the night before and played a hide-and-seek game that went wrong. She didn’t call 911 until the following afternoon.
Boone, who is now 45, admitted zipping Torres into the piece of luggage, but said Torres got in voluntarily because they thought it would be funny. She said she went upstairs to bed, passed out and woke up the next morning to find Torres still in the suitcase, unresponsive. He was dead.
READ MORE: Sarah Boone, charged in boyfriend’s suitcase death, pens letter to judge
Cops, however, discovered incriminating videos on Boone’s phone: she could allegedly be heard taunting Torres as she filmed him struggling to get out of the suitcase. He could be heard crying for help, yelling Boone’s name and saying he couldn’t breathe. In one of the shocking videos, Boone laughed and said, “That’s what I feel like when you cheat on me.”
Boone, who maintains her innocence, is currently being held without bond. If convicted, she could face life in prison.
Court TV senior field producer Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.
