Florida woman zips up boyfriend in suitcase as punishment for cheating, mocks his cries for help till he dies
ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA: A woman is facing murder charges after her boyfriend was trapped in a suitcase and died during a game of hide-and-seek, court records indicate.
The accused Sarah Boone told authorities she had been drinking and solving puzzles with her boyfriend Jorge Torres Jr. on Sunday night in their Winter Park apartment when they thought "it would be funny" for someone to hop inside a suitcase as part of the game, per an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, CNN reports.
The 42-year-old zipped up her boyfriend in a blue suitcase that contained a few items for donating. According to the affidavit, Sarah saw two of Jorge's fingers stick out of the bag, and so assumed he could open it whenever he wanted.
The affidavit recounts how she went upstairs to bed thinking he'd manage to get himself out of the suitcase and join her. But to her horror, she woke up the next day to find him still inside and not breathing.
However, Boone now faces a second-degree murder charge after investigators found videos on her phone were inconsistent with her version of what happened.
Boone's arrest affidavit notes how footage on her cellphone showed her mocking her boyfriend as she filmed his cries for help. She is reportedly heard in the videos telling him it was his punishment for cheating on her.
"I can't f**king breathe, seriously," Jorge said in the phone video.
"That's on you. Oh, that's what I feel like when you cheat on me," Sarah responded.
The footage reportedly shows the victim trying to get out of the suitcase. And when authorities showed the video to Boone, she pushed it away saying she didn't want to watch it.
According to the affidavit, Boone denied intentionally leaving her boyfriend in the suitcase.
Boone dialed 911 on the afternoon of February 24 and told the dispatcher she had woken up hours earlier but assumed Torres was on his computer in another room. After a considerable period of time, she realized she couldn't find him and that he was still inside the suitcase.
"Sarah unzipped the suitcase and found Jorge unresponsive and not breathing," the affidavit says. "Sarah zipped Jorge in the suitcase to where he could not get out. Jorge begged Sarah repeatedly telling her he could not breathe and Sarah left him in the suitcase ... and demonstrated a depraved mind without regard for Jorge's life."
Responding officers found the victim near the front door with bruising around his eye and a laceration on his lip.
Authorities are yet to establish the official cause of death. Meanwhile, Boone is being held without bail.