(NewsNation) — Sarah Boone, a Florida woman accused of killing her boyfriend by trapping him in a suitcase, is set for trial at the beginning of October.
Struggles with counsel
Boone, who is on her eighth attorney, appeared to not get along with her counsel, Patricia Cashman. Boone has also had issues with her previous seven attorneys, dismissing the lawyers.
She expressed dissatisfaction again, saying she does not like her current attorney and described the lawyer as having a “nasty attitude.”
“I don’t understand what it is that she has against me. I have told her from Day 1 that her snotty attitude was inappropriate,” Boone told the judge. “And I try very hard to bear with her and her attitude. I don’t know what it is that I’m doing wrong to her.”
Cashman responded with her own frustrations, noting that Boone wanted her to focus on things that she, based on her legal experience, did not find important.
“But at this point, we’re at that impasse of if she walks out of every conference that I have with her, I’m not sure what that says about the attorney-client relationship,” she said.
The case against Boone
Boone is facing second-degree murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., by locking him in a suitcase. She says they were playing hide and seek and had been drinking. Boone says she passed out in her bed and, when she woke up, realized Torres was still inside the suitcase.
According to Boone, she unzipped it and found him responsive and not breathing. As the case has unfolded, disturbing video has surfaced showing Torres inside the suitcase asking for help.
Prosecutors say that while Torres may have voluntarily gotten into the suitcase, Boone refused to let him out even when he was begging for help.
One possible defense Boone may use is the “battered spouse” defense, which is used in cases where someone suffering from domestic violence fights back against an abusive partner in their own defense. Florida does not typically recognize this defense.
Trial delays
It has been four years since Torres’ death, but the case has still not gone to trial, in part because of Boone’s issues with her representation.
Several public defenders assigned to the case have withdrawn, saying they had irreconcilable differences with Boone. One suggested she represent herself because she was unsatisfied with so many lawyers, and another described their relationship as adversarial.
At this latest hearing, the judge set a trial date for the beginning of October but is also reviewing Boone’s concerns with her latest lawyer in light of a clearly contentious relationship.