ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) — With just days to go until her murder trial, prosecutors and attorneys for Sarah Boone have found themselves in a time crunch as they race to file motions and get the depositions needed in time.
Sarah Boone smiles as she is led out of court after a hearing on Sept. 27, 2024. (Court TV)
Boone is facing a potential life sentence if she’s convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., who was found dead zipped inside a suitcase in the couple’s apartment. Boone, who admitted to zipping him inside, said that she woke up on Feb. 25, 2020, to find that Torres was still inside the luggage and had died.
A case management conference, initially scheduled for Thursday but postponed one day due to severe weather caused by Hurricane Helene, got off to a chaotic start on Friday when audio issues left Boone’s attorney (who had joined the hearing remotely) yelling “Judge!” repeatedly. Static, unmuted listeners and other technological hiccups made for a frustrating hearing as Judge Michael Kraynick struggled to get the case in order before the trial’s scheduled start on Oct. 7.
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While no motions were argued at the hearing, the issue of the motions themselves came up because prosecutors have accused the defense of waiting too long to file them, which still need to be heard before the trial starts. Included in the motions is one to suppress a 2-hour recorded interrogation of Boone at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 25. Boone’s attorney has argued that his client’s rights were violated partly because detectives did not properly read her Miranda Warning.
The warning consists of five sentences and two questions read to every person questioned by police for the interrogation to be legally and freely given.
The warning reads, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you? Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to us now?”
Boone’s motion argues that the last sentence was never read to her and that makes the entire recording unusable as evidence.
Judge Kraynick, clearly frustrated, reiterated to both sides that the trial date was quickly approaching and gave Boone’s attorney, James Owens, a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 27 to file any further motions to suppress. Owens told the judge, “We’re going to do our best to get all this resolved and be ready for trial.”
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Owens has also filed a motion asking for makeup and for her hair to be styled for her trial, likening doing so to having a male inmate shave before court. Responding to the request verbally on Friday, prosecutor Will Jay said, “As far as I know, she’d be the first person to ever have that done in this courthouse.” Owens also noted that Boone would not be wearing clothing from the public defender’s office; instead, he would be getting her clothing, mentioning that he would be “getting her measurements” next week.
The motions will be argued at a hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
