ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend by zipping him inside of a suitcase appeared in court with her eighth attorney on Friday, where she told the judge she is still unhappy with her representation.
Sarah Boone smiles as she leaves court on June 7, 2024. (Court TV)
Sarah Boone is charged with second-degree murder for the death of Jorge Torres. While Boone has admitted to zipping Torres into the suitcase where he was found dead, she has maintained that she did so as part of a game of hide-and-seek that went wrong.
Boone appeared Friday at a status hearing with her eighth attorney, Patricia Cashman. Cashman was assigned to the case earlier this year, replacing a long line of attorneys who have left the case, including one who told the judge that Boone called him a “dud” and a “buffoon.”
“Everyone constantly, constantly, constantly blames me why I am now on attorney number eight,” Boone told the judge on Friday. “I am not the reason for any of them.”
MORE | Sarah Boone’s Letters From Jail
Boone held an envelope, delivered to the judge during the hearing, which she said contained a 58-page letter. The letter, she said, is asking for the judge to intervene because she feels her latest attorney is mistreating her. “I still want you to be aware of what it is I am going through still,” she said. “It’s a manner of ethics and professionalism with how she should be treating me.”
Cashman addressed the judge, saying that she had spent 20 hours with Boone and had accepted collect phone calls from the jail for which she will not be reimbursed. Cashman accused Boone of walking out of their previous two meetings after she didn’t like hearing the results of depositions or discovery.
“I don’t understand what she has against me,” Boone told the judge. “I told her from day one that her snotty attitude was inappropriate, and I try very hard to bear with her and her attitude. … I feel that her attitude has equaled prejudice which is not in my favor especially considering she’s going to be representing my life.”
While she is currently dissatisfied with Cashman, Boone stopped short of asking for a new attorney, telling the judge that she doesn’t want her removed from the case. “If you could just let her know, please, to please be nice to me and have a welcoming attitude and things will probably change.”
Boone told the judge that she has supporters outside the jail who feel she is being treated unfairly, saying she recently received correspondence from South Korea.
The judge took the letter from Boone to read and set a tentative trial date for October 7.
