The court heard Boone recorded videos of Torres stuffed in the suitcase, in which he could be heard pleading for help, saying he couldn’t breathe and screaming his name. Boone was heard in the recordings taunting him, referencing past instances of abuse and infidelity.

Boone told the court she was too drunk to realize the severity of her actions and thought Torres would free herself from the suitcase. She claimed she went to bed and only remembered his predicament the next morning when she found him unconscious in the suitcase.

Prosecutors argued Boone acted out of malice, pointing to video evidence and alleging she hit Torres with a baseball bat before leaving him trapped. Boone denied the allegations, stating that she acted in self-defense out of fear that Torres would harm her.

At the sentencing hearing, members of Torres’ family described the devastating impact of his death. His sister, Victoria Torres, said Boone “deserves to languish in prison” for causing their family “a lifetime of pain.”

Boone, who spent 58 months in prison awaiting trial, criticized the trial’s conduct and media coverage. She asked Torres’ family for forgiveness, expressing regret for her actions. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Forgive me, Jorge. Forgive me, Torres family,” she said.

The jury found Boone guilty of second-degree murder after a 10-day trial in October. The life sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime and Boone’s refusal to accept responsibility as part of the plea agreement.