Sarah Boone trial: Jury selected in Winter Park suitcase murder trial
ORLANDO, Fla. - A jury has been selected and sworn-in in the trial against Sarah Boone , the Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend, Jorge Torres, in Feb. 2020 by locking him inside a blue suitcase during an apparent drunken game of hide-and-seek inside their Winter Park apartment.
The jury consists of six primary jurors and eight alternate jurors. Opening statements are expected to begin Friday morning at 9 a.m. The trial is expected to last at least three weeks.
FOX 35 will stream the Sarah Boone trial gavel-to-gavel on FOX Local, at FOX35Orlando.com/watch, and on our YouTube channel.
On Thursday, Judge Michael Kraynick and the court had all six jurors and eight alternates sworn in.
Judge Kraynick delivered instructions to the jury, including the second-degree murder charge against Sarah Boone, the trial process, and courtroom rules. Jurors were ordered not to discuss the case outside the courtroom, not to look up any information on the case, where to report potential violations, and ordered cell phones turned off (not on silent or vibrate) when the trial is in session, which are generally standard courtroom rules.
More than 150 people were interviewed by the prosecution and defense on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. One challenge for both sides was the high-profile nature of the case and ensuring an impartial jury, who hadn't read or watched news coverage on the case or investigation. Some potential jurors expressed concern at the potential length of the trial and being away from work.
Murder or self-defense?
Sarah Boone has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres, on Feb. 25, 2020. Boone's defense team plans to use the battered spouse's defense and claim Torres' death was self-defense.
Boone's attorneys claimed in court this week that Torres' hand was sticking out of the suitcase while he was zipped inside, which means he could have let himself out.
The state, however, argued that Boone did not mention self-defense in 2020 nor during the interrogation with authorities.
"He thought it'd be funny to be put in the suitcase. So I was like, OK, well, I'm gonna joke with you. And I'll make him squirm a little bit, whatever it is. But then I fell asleep," Boone can be heard telling a deputy in 2020 on bodycam video.
