ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) — Seven months after her murder conviction, Sarah Boone remains frustrated behind bars and has filed a formal inquiry into the status of her appeal.
Sarah Boone is sworn in during her trial for killing her boyfriend at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (POOL/Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)
Boone, 47, was sentenced to life in prison in December 2024 after a jury convicted her of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Jorge Torres. Torres died after he was zipped inside a suitcase and beaten with a baseball bat at the couple’s home during a night of drinking.
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Eight attorneys were appointed to represent Boone in the four years between her arrest and her trial, each finding her difficult to work with and eventually withdrawing from her case. Each time she was dissatisfied with her attorney’s performance or responsiveness to her case and questions, Boone would pen lengthy letters to the Court. On the eve of her murder trial, James Owens volunteered to step in and represent her.
Boone was appointed an appellate attorney as a matter of procedure after her conviction, but little movement has been made on her appeal. After receiving notice that the appeal would be dismissed unless a brief was filed, Boone sent a formal inquiry to the Court asking about the status of her attorney and expressing frustration that he hadn’t been responding to her questions.
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Boone’s notice states that her appellate attorney, who was appointed on December 18, 2024, sent her a “single, basic introduction via inmate messaging” on February 27, 2025. Since then, Boone claims to have messaged him via inmate messaging five times, sent two handwritten letters to his office and had nine third-party representatives email and call him on her behalf.
“Due to the complete lack of proper and effective communication from her Court-Appointed Appellate Attorney, the Appellant’s appeal is now in jeopardy,” Boone wrote. The inquiry requests that the Court either compel Adams to “fulfill his legal duties and communicate immediately” or appoint her new counsel.
A notice posted to Boone’s court record indicates that she was granted an extension of time to file her appeal brief, with a new deadline of Sept. 1.
