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Sarah Boone trial starts Monday due to Hurricane Milton: Timeline, delays and jury selection

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Published  October 14, 2024 6:25pm EDT
Sarah Boone
FOX 35 Orlando

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ORLANDO, Fla. - The murder trial for Sarah Boone began Monday after being delayed last week due to Hurricane Milton. 

Boone, 46, is charged with second-degree murder in connection with the February 25, 2020, death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., 42. 

According to investigators, she allegedly persuaded Torres to climb inside a suitcase, zipped it shut, and refused to let him out. When she unzipped the suitcase the next morning, Torres was found dead.

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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 disrupted the Florida court system. Many cases, including Boone’s, were delayed due to court closures and limited in-person proceedings.

Jury selection begins in suitcase murder trial

Jury selection in the Sarah Boone murder trial is now underway. Boone is accused of zipping her boyfriend Jorge Torres inside a suitcase where he died.

Since her arrest in February 2020, the case has faced 16 delays. 

Summary of the 16 Delays:

The 16 trial delays in the Sarah Boone case have been caused by:

  1. Procedural delays
  2. COVID-19 pandemic disruptions
  3. Frequent changes in legal representation
  4. Court system backlogs
  5. Review and preparation of key evidence
  6. Potential mental health evaluations
  7. Boone’s rejection of a plea deal
  8. Revocation of Boone’s right to court-appointed counsel
  9. Boone's attempts to secure private representation

Boone has had nine different attorneys during this period, with several stepping down due to "irreconcilable differences".

Seven of Boone's attorneys were public defenders, prompting Orange County Circuit Judge Michael S. Kraynick to revoke her right to court-appointed legal counsel in June.

In July, Boone began representing herself in court.

Sarah Boone must represent self during murder trial, judge says

Sarah Boone, the Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend by locking him inside a suitcase at their Winter Park home during an alleged game of hide-and-seek, has forfeited her right to any more court-appointed defense lawyers – and will now have to represent herself at her trial, according to the judge overseeing her case.

In August, she filed a motion asking the court to dismiss her second-degree murder case.

Her defense was that she had the constitutional right to a speedy trial and, in Florida, a "speedy trial" means that a person charged with a crime must be brought to trial within 90 days of arrest if the crime is a misdemeanor, or within 175 days if the crime is a felony. 

It's been more than four years since Boone was arrested and charged with murder. 

After attempting to represent herself, Boone put out an ad for an attorney. 

On September 3, 2024, Boone appeared in court with a new lawyer - James Owen.

Owens, who works in Milton in the Florida Panhandle, told reporters that he saw Boone's self-drawn advertisement seeking representation. 

Related story: Sarah Boone's new lawyer appears in court; Florida judge refuses to delay trial

Owens asked the court to delay the trial until the end of the year or early next year to allow him more time to review evidence, conduct depositions, and hire experts. 

However, Judge Michael Kraynick denied the request. 

Boone is expected to use the "battered woman defense" in her trial. 

Boone declined a plea offer from prosecutors that would have lowered her potential sentence to 15 years in exchange for a guilty plea to manslaughter. If convicted of murder, she faces a minimum sentence of 22 and a half years.

Trial delayed due to Hurricane Milton

Jury selection was set to begin on Monday, October 7, 2024. However, the court announced it would be closed on Wednesday and Thursday due to Hurricane Milton.

Sarah Boone trial set to begin Monday after Hurricane delay

The murder trail of Sarah Boone is set to begin Monday after a delay last week due to Hurricane Milton.

Prospective jurors were sent home and told to return the following Monday, October 14, 2024.  

Jury selection is currently underway.

We will update you as the trial continues. 

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