WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A former appliance delivery man was convicted of killing a 75-year-old Florida woman and then setting her on fire after delivering a washer and dryer to her home.
Jorge Dupre Lachazo, 24, of Hialeah, was convicted of first-degree murder after a three-day trial, the Sun-Sentinel reported. He was also convicted on related charges that included burglary with a weapon and arson, according to the newspaper.
Lachazo had waived his right to a jury trial, leaving the verdict in the hands of Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
According to the Boca Raton Police Department, Lachazo beat Evelyn Udell with a mallet and doused her with a chemical he found in her home on Aug. 20, 2019, WPTV reported.
Appliance delivery man beat elderly woman with mallet, set her on fire, police say
Police found Udell unconscious on her laundry room floor, according to the television station. She died the next day, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
Lachazo had been working for a company contracted by Best Buy to deliver the appliances, WPTV reported.
According to police, Lachazo admitted he hit Udell and doused her with the chemical, according to WPEC-TV. Lachazo also reportedly told police he had used cocaine and marijuana earlier in the day, the television station reported.
Because it was a non-jury trial, the harshest sentence that Weiss can render is life in prison, according to WPBF-TV. He will be sentenced on April 5, the television station reported.
