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Orange County jury finds Sarah Boone guilty in ‘suitcase murder’ case
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Orange County jury finds Sarah Boone guilty in ‘suitcase murder’ case

Orange County jury finds Sarah Boone guilty in ‘suitcase murder’ case

An Orange County jury found Sarah Boone guilty of second-degree murder.

Stay tuned to Channel 9 for the latest on this case.

Jorge Torres’ family had an emotional day as they sat in the courtroom just feet away from the person accused of their loved one’s killer.

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Boone is accused of killing her boyfriend, Jorge Torres, by trapping him inside a suitcase in February 2020.

The defense claimed Boone was suffering from “Better Wife Syndrome” and feared for his life when he grabbed a baseball bat while it was in the bag and hit Torres.

On the 10th day of the Sarah Boone murder trial, the family appeared in court for the first time to hear the attorney’s closing argument.

As prosecutors played video of Torres’ final moments inside the suitcase, some family members became audibly emotional and had to leave the room.

The emotional outburst led Sarah Boone’s defense attorneys to ask for a mistrial. Judge Michael Kraynick ultimately denied that request and asked the attorneys to continue with their closing arguments.

The defense used its closing arguments to highlight the history of violence between Sarah Boone and Jorge Torres.

Both Boone and Torres had been arrested on domestic violence-related charges, and at one point before Torres’ death, Boone was under orders to have no contact with Torres.

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The defense attempted to create doubt in the minds of jurors by reintroducing photo and video evidence of times when Torres physically abused Boone.

They also reminded jurors of Boone’s testimony at the beginning of the trial.

Boone testified that he thought Torres might have gotten out of the bag during their drunken game of hide-and-seek.

Boone said on the witness stand that he saw Torres’ hand coming out of the bag. He testified that he hit Torres’ hand with a baseball bat because he was afraid that Torres would come out and attack him.

“He reacted instinctively to such circumstances to save his life. “To save yourself from another one of these,” Boone’s attorney, James Owens, said as he showed the jury a picture of the injured Sarah Boone.

Meanwhile, in the prosecution’s closing argument, attorney Dave Cacciatore told the jury it was quite possible that Jorge Torres was an abused spouse himself.

Cacciatore replayed crucial video evidence recorded by Boone before Torres’ death.

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In the video, Torres can be seen inside the bag. In the video, Torres repeatedly calls out Boone’s name and says he “can’t breathe.”

In the video, Boone can be heard telling Torres, “It’s your fault,” and cursing at Torres.

In order for jurors to convict Boone of Second Degree Murder, Jurors must believe that the prosecution meets three facts beyond a reasonable doubt.

These facts include that Jorge Torres is dead, Boone caused Torres’ death, and Boone was in a depraved state of mind when Torres was killed.

Prosecutors believe video evidence of Torres’ final moments will remove any doubt in jurors’ minds.

“The medical examiner explained to us that with every breath Jorge Torres took, there was less oxygen in this box,” said Dave Cacciatore of the State’s Attorney’s Office, pointing to the bag in which Torres died. “Jorge Torres was killed in this box.”

Judge Michael Kraynick told the jury to prepare for a long night.

If a unanimous decision is not reached by 22:00 on Friday, jury deliberations will be suspended and will continue on Monday.

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