Sarah Boone murder trial continues

ORLANDO, Florida. — The jury is expected to reconvene Thursday in the murder trial of Sarah Boone, a Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend after he died in a zipped suitcase during an apparently drunken game of hide-and-seek.

Sarah Boone, 47, faces a second-degree murder charge, accused of letting her boyfriend – Jorge Torres Jr., 42 – die of asphyxiation in 2020.

A day after Boone took the stand in his own defense, his lawyers called other people to testify.

Pearl Walker, a former neighbor, said Thursday that she sometimes noticed marks on Boone’s neck or arm.

Walker said she would see Boone when she was walking her dogs and have conversations with her, and Boone would talk about abuse.

Boone’s lawyers say she suffered from battered spouse syndrome.

On the stand, Boone claimed she was afraid of Torres’ behavior once he got out of the suitcase, and that’s why she didn’t let him out.

(CHRONOLOGY: Where things stand for Sarah Boone, Florida woman charged in suitcase death)

Dr. Julie Harper, a licensed psychologist for 22 years, was also called to the stand.

Harper said she did her thesis on dating relationships and reviewed Boone’s files before interviewing him.

“Do you think Sarah Boone has narcissistic traits?” » Harper was asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

On Tuesday, Boone testified that Torres had gotten into the suitcase himself and was trying to lay down, so she couldn’t tell he was there.

“He was about 5 feet 3 inches tall and he weighed about 100 pounds,” Boone said. “I just kind of zipped it up. We found it funny. We joked that it was small enough to fit in the suitcase.

She said she closed the suitcase at one point.

“He just thought it was funny,” she said. “From there, I moved it around on the wheels a few times, and at that point it was always funny. We joked about it and laughed about it.

She said she moved the suitcase and ended up with the zipper down.

“That’s when I decided to film to see the joke, so that he understands that at this moment I feel safe and that I can talk to you in the way that I normally can ” she said, admitting she was drunk.

“Could you tell the jury what you felt, what your feelings were, explain to the jury that you said it before he was in that confined space,” Boone’s attorney said.

“I want you to know that most of the time I’m still scared and I’m still afraid,” Boon responded. “I just wanted him to understand that that’s the whole point of the video.”

The state continued its case earlier Tuesday, a day after jurors saw video of Boone being questioned by authorities.

“He begs you to let him out and you laugh at first and then you say, ‘No,’” a detective said in the video.

“It wasn’t intentional,” Boone responded. “I will get my hands on the Bible. It was not intentional.

The prosecution’s opening statement was delivered by Assistant State’s Attorney William Jay, who said, “She did this with malicious intent to punish him, and then she fell asleep and made him left to take his last breath alone on this Earth. »

He also talked about Boone’s 911 call the next day.

“What you won’t hear are tears.” … You won’t hear any sorrow,” Jay said.

Prosecutors said Boone showed no respect for Torres’ life, but her lawyers claimed she was a victim of battered spouse syndrome and boxed Torres in because of prior abuse.

The state said Boone never mentioned self-defense when he was first questioned by authorities.

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