ORLANDO, Fla. (Court TV) — Convicted killer Sarah Boone is growing frustrated behind bars as she says she has yet to hear from her appellate attorney, even as time runs out for her appeal to be filed.
Sarah Boone appears in court on the first day of her murder trial on Oct. 18, 2024. (Court TV)
Boone was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Jorge Torres Jr., who was zipped into a suitcase and beaten while the couple was drinking and playing a game of hide-and-seek in February 2020. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in December 2024.
In the nearly 6 years since Torres’ death and her arrest, Boone has gone through a dozen attorneys. Nine of those attorneys represented Boone for her initial criminal case; since then, she has managed to go through an additional four attorneys despite having no court hearings.
MORE | Sarah Boone files inquiry complaining about appellate attorney
On Nov. 17, 2025, Boone sent a handwritten motion to the court asking to be “included in and added to the certificate of service by all parties to receive important information regarding her appeal.” Boone wrote that she does not know who her present attorney is or the status of her appeal.
Boone’s attorney, as of Nov. 4, 2025, is David Maldonado. Maldonado became her thirteenth attorney after her twelfth attorney, Rodrigo Caruço, accepted a new job, forcing his withdrawal. Her eleventh attorney, Joshua Adams, withdrew from the case after he stopped practicing appellate work. Her tenth attorney, appointed immediately after her sentencing, withdrew days later without explanation.
As for the status of Boone’s appeal, time is running out for her attorney to file an initial brief outlining why her case should be reopened. A motion for extension of time was granted in August, but the order notes “No further extensions will be granted absent extenuating circumstances.” That order required the brief to be served within 60 days of the August 29 order.
