**Florida Woman Convicted of Murder for Suffocating Boyfriend in Suitcase**

A Florida woman has been found guilty of second-degree murder for the death of her boyfriend, who suffocated after being zipped inside a suitcase. Sarah Boone was convicted by an Orange County jury on Friday, four years after what she initially claimed was a tragic accident during a game of drunken hide-and-seek.

The incident occurred in February 2020, when Boone and her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., were at their Winter Park apartment. Boone told authorities that the couple had been drinking heavily and, in a playful mood, Torres decided to get inside a large suitcase. Boone zipped him up, thinking it was humorous, and soon after went upstairs, where she passed out.

When Boone woke up the next morning, she found Torres unresponsive inside the suitcase. Despite her initial account suggesting it was an unfortunate consequence of drunken antics, further investigation painted a grimmer picture. Boone testified that after zipping him inside the suitcase, she had recorded video clips where she mocked and taunted Torres as he pleaded for help. According to WESH, an NBC affiliate, Boone was heard in the clips telling Torres, "This is for everything you've done to me," as he struggled to breathe.

The case took a darker turn when Boone revealed during her testimony that she hit Torres's hand with a baseball bat when he managed to stick it out of the suitcase, forcing him to pull it back inside. She claimed that his demeanor had shifted to aggression and threats while inside the suitcase, which made her fearful. Despite this claimed fear, prosecutors argued that Boone was not in any imminent danger when she chose not to unzip the suitcase.

Prosecutors asserted that Boone's actions were driven by a desire for retribution rather than self-defense. They suggested that she felt Torres deserved to die because of his past actions, leading to his tragic death from suffocation.

Boone's conviction marks the culmination of a four-year legal process following the discovery of Torres's body. The case underscores the lethal consequences that can arise from domestic conflicts coupled with impaired judgment due to alcohol.