From: jcs
On February 24, 2020, 42-year-old Sarah Boone called 9-1-1 to report that her boyfriend, 42-year-old George Torres Jr., was dead after they had been playing hide-and-seek the night before [00:00:15]. Boone explained that she had put him in a suitcase during their game, fell asleep, and woke to find him dead [00:00:28]. She claimed it was an unintentional accident [00:02:03].
Discovery of Incriminating Evidence
Unbeknownst to Sarah Boone, she had recorded two videos on her phone the night of George’s death [00:02:08].
- The first video, taken at 11:12 PM, showed her laughing at George while he was zipped inside the suitcase [00:02:12]. George, however, was not laughing; he was asking to be let out and repeatedly stated he couldn’t breathe [00:02:18].
- The second video, recorded 11 minutes later, showed the same situation, but the suitcase was flipped over and in a different part of the apartment [00:02:21].
Sarah appeared heavily intoxicated in these videos [00:02:30].
Initial Interrogation and Inconsistencies
During the initial questioning by police and investigators, Sarah maintained that the incident was an accident [00:03:00]. She stated that she and George were drinking wine, doing a puzzle, and decided to play hide-and-seek [00:03:27]. She claimed George willingly got into the suitcase, and she zipped him up as a joke before falling asleep upstairs [00:05:20].
When asked about George’s injuries found during the autopsy, such as injuries to his left shoulder, a cut near his lip, a contusion on his neck, and bruising on his forehead and skull [00:09:03], Sarah denied causing them. She suggested he might have fallen off her son’s bike or run into a wall [00:09:27]. She insisted they had a “good time” and nobody “laid a hand on anybody” [00:09:58].
She also mentioned past domestic violence incidents where George had been arrested multiple times against her, and she had bailed him out each time [00:04:59]. She claimed they had been “good” lately and that George was attending anger management classes, where he would apologize for past actions [00:11:32].
Confrontation with Video Evidence
The turning point in the interrogation came when investigators confronted Sarah with the videos from her phone [00:17:38]. Sarah initially claimed she didn’t remember making them [00:18:12]. As the video played, George could be heard saying “I can’t breathe” [00:19:35]. Sarah was heard saying “for everything you’ve done to me,” and “you stupid, stupid” [00:19:09].
When pressed about why she didn’t let him out, Sarah continued to claim it was not intentional [00:21:24]. She argued that she thought it would be okay since she didn’t zip the suitcase all the way, and that she went upstairs to sleep, not intending to leave him in there [00:22:44]. She maintained it was a “joking matter” and they were both laughing [00:17:07]. The investigators pointed out that George was pushing on the suitcase trying to get out, and there was no hole or visible fingers to suggest he could have escaped [00:23:51].
Sarah attempted to blame her actions on alcohol, stating, “I’m blaming it on the wine” [00:28:46]. The detectives reiterated that George was begging for his life while she was heard in an “angry voice” telling him to “f*** off” [00:28:57].
Arrest and Charges
After the intense questioning, Sarah Boone asked the investigators “what’s next?” [00:32:24]. The male detective asked if she realized she was the person who killed George [00:30:04]. Sarah denied intentionally killing him [00:30:27].
She was then asked to stand up, turn around, and put her hands behind her back [00:34:54]. When she asked, “Why is this happening?” [00:35:01], the detective responded, “Because George is dead” [00:35:03]. Sarah was surprised, claiming it was a “trick” since they had previously told her she could leave [00:35:08].
Sarah Boone was taken to the Orange County Jail at 5:44 PM [00:36:06]. She was charged with second-degree murder and held without bond [00:36:09].
Subsequent Legal Proceedings
Since her arrest in late February 2020, Sarah Boone has remained in county jail [00:36:21]. As of the time of the transcript, her trial date was set for April 10th of the current year [00:36:23]. She has worked with seven different attorneys, with six already filing motions to withdraw from her case, citing “irreconcilable differences” [00:36:26].