Delivery driver who killed woman, set her on fire gets life sentence

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A former appliance delivery man convicted of killing a 75-year-old Florida woman and then setting her on fire after delivering a washer and dryer to her home was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.

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Jorge Dupre Lachazo, 24, of Hialeah, was convicted of first-degree murder in January after a three-day trial, the Sun-Sentinel reported. On Wednesday, Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss sentenced Lachazo in the Aug. 20, 2019, beating and burning of Evelyn Udell, of Boca Raton, WPTV reported.

Lachazo was also convicted on related charges that included burglary with a weapon and arson. Lachazo had waived his right to a jury trial, leaving the verdict in the hands of Weiss, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Lachazo was delivering a washer and dryer to Udell’s home when the attack occurred, according to the television station.

According to the Boca Raton Police Department, Lachazo beat Udell with a mallet and doused her with a chemical he found in her home, WPTV reported.

Police found Udell, a librarian at Florida Atlantic University unconscious on her laundry room floor, according to WPEC-TV. 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. Lachazo also reportedly told police he had used cocaine and marijuana earlier in the day, the television station reported.

Defense attorneys did not deny that Lachazo attacked Udell, but argued that her death was not premeditated, WTVJ reported.

Udell worked at FAU from 2003 until 2018, working in the technical services department of the library, according to the television station.

Udell’s family expressed their pain and anger during the sentencing hearing, with her son stating that Lachazo had “stolen” his mother from him, WPBF-TV reported.

“Because of this pathetic, weak sissy, we are here to ensure will never see the light of day as a free person,” Harran Udell told the court.