ORLANDO, Fla. — A judge sentenced Sarah Boone to life in prison Monday after a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder in October.

Boone had been charged in connection with the 2020 death of Jorge Torres Jr. She was accused of zipping him up in a suitcase and leaving him to suffocate.

What You Need To Know

  • A judge sentenced Sarah Boone in connection with Jorge Torres' death — he died in 2020 after he was zipped into a suitcase and suffocated

  • Boone has 30 days to appeal the sentence

  • Before the sentencing, Torres' mother said Boone deserved life in prison

According to a 2020 arrest affidavit, Boone told Orange County deputies that Torres got into the suitcase when they were playing hide-and-seek. She said they both had consumed a lot of alcohol, and she fell asleep. She said she later found Torres unresponsive and called 911.

She later told authorities said that Torres climbed into the suitcase himself, she fell asleep and then later found him unresponsive.

Boone remained stoic when the judge announced her sentence, with her attorney saying that they were surprised the judge did not show her more mercy.

The family of Torres Jr., however, had an immediate reaction, with his mother and sister bursting into tears.

Before the sentencing, Torres Jr.’s mother said Boone deserved life in prison.

“Since that day I can’t sleep, it is hard for me to remember that moment my son (crying) is not here no more,” said Blanca Torres.

Boone also spoke to the court.

“The ifs and whys and how really don’t matter. It happened and I’m sorry,” she said. “Words cannot describe and I hope that everyone can forgive me. The Torres family most of all and his daughters because I know what he meant to them.”

In Boone’s statement, which her attorney James Owens says she edited down, she also detailed the physical and sexual abuse that she says she suffered at the hands of Torres Jr.

Owens asked the judge to temper his justice with mercy.

“The state’s expert saying she suffered from intimate partner violence. I think that is, at least, at minimum, a mitigator,” he said. “I understand the jury’s decision. I respect the jury’s decision, but the testimony, photographs and evidence is clear that she was abused.”

Boone has 30 days to appeal the sentence, which her attorney says could have a chance, but it will probably take years.