A Florida woman accused of murdering her boyfriend by trapping him in a suitcase must now represent herself after going through eight lawyers, a judge ruled on Friday.
Sarah Boone, 46, is charged with second-degree murder related to the 2020 death of 42-year-old Jorge Torres Jr. He was found dead at a home in Winter Park.
Boone allegedly suggested that Torres should get inside a suitcase. Once he was inside, she mocked him and accused him of cheating on her. She allegedly refused to let him out, and he was dead when she opened the suitcase the next morning.
Eight of Boone's lawyers have quit before the start of the trial, with several alleging she is difficult to work with.
"It has become apparent to the Court that Defendant will not permit herself to be represented by anyone," Orange County Circuit Judge Michael S. Kraynick wrote in a court order.
Boone's first attorney was court-appointed. She replaced them with Mauricio Padilla in March of 2020. Padilla quit in 2022 due to "irreconcilable differences" and an "adversarial" relationship.
Since Padilla, Boone has not been able to keep one lawyer for a long period of time. Kraynick alleged that Boone is changing lawyers frequently to help delay her trial.
"As of June 26, 2024, this case has been pending 4 years, 3 months, 5 days from the date of the filing of the information on March 23, 2020," Kraynick wrote. "Actions speak louder than words. Although the defendant's words seemingly reveal a desire to go to trial, however, as set forth herein, her actions and inability to work with court-appointed counsel, are repeated over and over."
The judge said part of that delay could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which paused criminal trials, but allowing the defendant to her "eighth court appointed attorney (her ninth attorney overall) will only serve to delay the case and encourage the defendant to persist in efforts to prevent the resolution of the case on its merits."
Some of Boone's former attorneys cited conflict of interest as the reason for stepping down, but her relationships with the three most recent attorneys were more contentious.
Frank J. Bankowitz, the sixth lawyer, filed a motion to resign in December of 2022 due to "irreconcilable differences."
At a hearing on the motion, he said Boone attempted to call him five to 10 times per day and he struggled to balance her demands with those of his other clients.
The motion was denied, but Bankowitz filed another motion in August of that year.
"The Defendant will not be satisfied with any attorney unless said attorney does not have a case load and can dedicate his or her time solely to Ms. Boone's case," Bankowitz wrote in the motion.
At a September 2022 hearing, Bankowitz said Boone called him a "dud" and a "buffoon." His motion to resign was granted and he was replaced by Winston Hobson.
Hobson resigned in February of this year. He also cited "irreconcilable differences," including disagreements on legal strategy. He claimed Boone was unreasonable and difficult to work with.
The final attorney appointed to Boone was Patricia A. Cashman, who "is widely-known to be able and willing to deal with and manage difficult clients," according to the court order.
Boone attacked Cashman in recent letters sent to the court. She accused Cashman of not telling her the truth, not answering questions and putting words in her mouth.
"I want to make it known I walked out on my attorney in our last meeting due to her unwarranted, uninformative, unprofessional, snotty attitude," Boone wrote.
Cashman filed to withdraw due to "irreconcilable differences" on June 11.
A trial management conference is scheduled for September 29 and the trial is set to begin on October 7.
Who is Sarah Boone?
Both Boone and Torres were previously arrested for battery on each other in Orange County.
Boone was charged with battery by strangulation in July 2018, according to court records. The two had been dating for around a year and a half at this time and they were living together.
Boone told officials she was at a bar with Torres when another man asked her for a cigarette. She said Torres became upset she was talking to another man and left the bar. A fight later ensued at the home they shared.
Boone said Torres kicked her in the eye, while Torres said Boone placed both of her hands around his throat and applied pressure until he had difficulty breathing. He also claimed he kicked Boone in an attempt to get her to stop.
Torres was charged with battery three times in 2019, including an incident where Boone said Torres punched her ear and the side of her head.
Boone is in custody at Orange County Jail as she awaits trial.
While in jail, she has sent multiple handwritten letters to the court. Many of them voice dissatisfaction with proceedings and her attorneys. In the most recent one made public by the court, she speaks out against representing herself at her trial.
"And 'representing myself' is NOT an option as both judges have now threatened me with from being outspoken and intelligent in all my observations of the ongoing abuse I am and have experienced," Boone wrote.
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