**OPENING STATEMENTS/MOTIONS "Suitcase Sarah" Boone: Murder Trial Day 1/Part 1

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On February 25, 2020, Sarah Boone called 911 to report that her boyfriend, 42-year-old Jorge Torres, was dead. Boone claimed that after they shared a bottle of wine, they decided to play hide and seek. She said they thought it would be funny to put him in a suitcase, and they were laughing together. However, she then went upstairs and accidentally fell asleep, leaving him zipped inside the suitcase.
During the investigation, authorities ruled Torres’s death a homicide. Boone cooperated with police, turning over her phone, which forensic investigators examined. They discovered two videos recorded the night before, in which Boone appeared to be laughing as Torres pleaded for help from inside the suitcase. In the videos, Boone could be heard saying, "That's what you get when you choke me," and "That's what I feel like when you cheat on me." She later claimed not to remember recording the videos.
Following these events, Boone was charged with second-degree murder and held without bond. Throughout the legal proceedings, she has written several letters to the judge, alleging unfair representation and expressing dissatisfaction with her appointed attorney. Over time, she has replaced multiple attorneys, ultimately leading to her decision to represent herself after her eighth attorney withdrew.
A non-court-appointed attorney has since agreed to take her case, and Boone plans to use the battered women's defense in her trial, which began recently.