A woman accused of zipping her boyfriend in a suitcase and leaving him to die – all while taunting him on video – has provided an extraordinary excuse for the alleged murder.
On Tuesday, Sarah Boone, 42, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge over the death of Jorge Torres Jr, also 42, in Florida, USA.
Boone told detectives she was painting and doing puzzles with her partner, Torres, while drinking alcohol before playing a game of hide-and-seek on Sunday, news.com.au reports.
She said the pair agreed it would be funny if Torres climbed into a blue suitcase and she zipped him up at her home outside Orlando, news station WKMG reported.
But she claimed to have then forgotten all about the human cargo — falling asleep in her bed for hours before realising Torres was still inside, according to the report.
Boone said she woke up to her phone ringing and went to check on Torres only to find him unresponsive and not breathing.
She called emergency services that afternoon but when police responded, Torres was already dead.
According to authorities, Torres was found with a small laceration on his lip and bruising around his eye. Police said they retrieved two videos from Boone's phone in which she allegedly teases Torres while he's trapped in the suitcase.
Investigators said Boone can be heard laughing in the first video as Torres calls out her name and pleads for help.
"I can't ... breathe, seriously," he says.
According to the report, Boone responds: "Yeah that's what you do when you choke me" before allegedly telling Torres he should "probably shut the f*** up".
One video shows the suitcase facing down with Torres pushing in an attempt to get out, according to the Sheriff's office. A second shows the luggage in a different position.
As Torres continues to assert he can't breathe, Boone continues to mock him in one of the clips.
"That's on you. Oh, that's what I feel like when you cheat on me," Boone says.
A police spokesperson told the outlet they arrested Boone after discovering "inconsistencies" between her statements and what was captured on camera.