The m*rder trial of a Florida woman accused of suffocating her boyfriend in a suitcase is set to begin next week.
During a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, 46-year-old Sarah Boone requested professional hair and makeup for the trial, but the judge denied her request.
The trial comes nearly four years after a drinking-fueled game of hide-and-seek led to the death of 42-year-old Jorge Torres. The couple reportedly decided to play the game together, during which Boone zipped Torres inside a blue suitcase. She claims she left two of his fingers sticking out.
According to the arrest document, Boone “freaked out” when she realized the last time she saw Jorge was as she zipped him up. When she unzipped the suitcase, she found him unresponsive. During the hearing, she described feeling “very confused, very hazy” from the night of drinking that followed, as noted by CourtTV.
“I didn’t grasp the overwhelming number of people at the crime scene or what they were doing. I was concerned about my dogs, my son, and I was in shock,” Boone said.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Boone’s attorney attempted to suppress key evidence from the prosecution, including interrogation footage that contradicts her claim of acting in self-defense.
Attorney James Owens argued that Boone was coerced into speaking with the police and had not been properly informed of her Miranda rights. He also claimed that Boone suffered from battered spouse syndrome and highlighted Torres’s history of domestic v!olence against her, which included a battery charge from 2018.
The judge indicated he would decide on the suppression of the interrogation video by the end of Thursday.
Boone’s trial is scheduled to begin next week on October 7, and if convicted of second-degree murder, she could face a life sentence.