From: jcs
On a 9-1-1 call, 42-year-old Sarah Boone reported that her boyfriend, 42-year-old George Torres Jr., was dead [00:01:53]. She told the dispatcher that they were “playing last night” [00:00:28] and she “put him in a case when we were playing” [00:00:31]. She described it as a “kind of hide and seek kind of thing” [00:00:33]. Boone stated she “fell asleep and I woke up and he was dead in the suitcase” [00:00:35]. She confirmed he was in a suitcase and that she had tried to give him CPR [00:00:55]. Torres ultimately died of suffocation [00:01:58].
Initial Police Interaction and Explanation
Sarah Boone’s initial explanation to police was that George Torres Jr.’s death was a “totally unintentional and unforeseen accident” [00:02:03]. She claimed they were having a good time, drinking a bottle of wine, doing a puzzle, and then decided to play hide-and-seek [00:03:26]. She stated George got into the suitcase, and she “thought it’d be funny to be put in the suitcase” [00:05:22], so she “zipped him up” [00:05:27] to “joke with you and […] make him you know squirm a little bit whatever it is but then I fell asleep” [00:05:25]. She insisted they were both laughing about it when she zipped him in [00:05:39].
Boone’s ex-husband arrived at the scene, stating that Sarah had asked him to come over [00:03:41]. He mentioned that Sarah was meant to have custody of their son that day [00:04:26] and that she wanted to go outside for a drink and cigarette [00:04:47]. He also explained that George Torres Jr. was on parole due to previous domestic violence incidents against Sarah, and that Sarah had “literally bailed him out every time” [00:05:01].
Incriminating Videos
Unknown to Sarah Boone at the time of her 9-1-1 call, she had recorded two videos on her phone the night of the incident [00:02:08]. These videos were later found and presented by investigators:
- The first video, taken at 11:12 PM, shows Sarah laughing at George while he is zipped inside the suitcase [00:02:12]. George is heard asking to be let out and “repeatedly stating that he can’t breathe” [00:02:18]. Sarah is described as “unmistakably and heavily intoxicated in these videos” [00:02:30].
- The second video, recorded 11 minutes later, shows the “same thing except the suitcase was flipped over and in a different area of the apartment” [00:02:23].
Interrogation and Contradictions
During her interrogation at the Sheriff’s Office, Sarah Boone was confronted with the findings from George Torres Jr.’s autopsy, which revealed injuries including contusions on his left shoulder, a cut near his lip, and bruising on his forehead and skull [00:09:01]. Forensic analysis indicated these injuries were sustained the night he died and were not present before he entered the apartment [00:09:21]. Boone claimed George had fallen off her son’s bike and was “notorious for running into the wall” [00:09:27]. She denied laying a hand on him [00:11:04].
The interrogator then brought up Sarah’s previous calls to police regarding domestic violence involving George [00:11:20]. Sarah stated that George “comes at me all the time” [00:11:51] and that her usual response is to “flee or try to go upstairs and go to sleep” [00:11:57]. She spoke about George’s anger management classes and claimed he was making progress, even apologizing to her [00:14:00]. Sarah claimed to have loved George and taken care of him [00:13:47].
When asked if she had ever zipped him up in a suitcase before, she replied “absolutely not” [00:17:12]. When asked about any videos or photos on her phone from that Sunday, she initially only remembered taking a picture of a dog [00:17:34].
Confrontation with the Videos
The interrogator then showed Sarah the videos from her phone. Sarah’s demeanor shifted dramatically upon seeing the footage.
- She initially stated, “I don’t remember that” [00:18:12] and asked, “Do I have to watch this” [00:18:47], citing sickness and lack of sleep.
- In the video, George can be heard saying “I can’t breathe” [00:19:34], and Sarah is heard laughing [00:19:13]. Sarah also yells ”[\h__\h] you stupid, stupid” [00:19:13]. Sarah denied that her comments were “malicious” [00:21:16], claiming “that’s how we are with each other” [00:23:37].
- Sarah admitted to flipping the suitcase over [00:20:08] but maintained her intention was “not to leave him in there” [00:21:27]. She reiterated that she “fell asleep” [00:23:01] and that her plan was “not to leave him in the suitcase” [00:22:54].
- When pressed on why she didn’t let him out given his pleas, Sarah stated she “had no idea it was going to end like that” [00:26:01] and that she thought “I’ll give you five minutes or so in there” [00:26:09].
- The detective highlighted the timestamp discrepancy, noting the videos were 11 minutes apart, indicating George was in the suitcase for at least that long while asking to be let out [00:26:23].
- Sarah suggested she was “blaming it on the wine” [00:28:46]. She accused the officers of “trying to make it worse” [00:33:27].
Arrest and Legal Standing
After the interrogation, Sarah Boone was asked to stand up and turn around. When she asked “Why is this happening” [00:35:01], an officer replied, “Because George is dead” [00:35:03]. She insisted, “Not intentionally” [00:35:06], and questioned, “So this was a trick?” [00:35:09].
Sarah Boone was taken to the Orange County Jail at 5:44 PM [00:36:06] and charged with second-degree murder, held without bond [00:36:09]. As of April 2020, she had been in county jail and was working with her seventh attorney, with six previous attorneys filing motions to withdraw due to “irreconcilable differences” [00:36:26].
NOTE
The raw files for this case, including bodycam footage and interrogation videos, are available on the Law&Crime Network [00:02:46].