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A Florida Best Buy delivery driver has been found guilty of bludgeoning a 75-year-old customer to death with a rubber hammer and setting her on fire.

Jorge Dupre Lachazo, 24, was convicted by a Palm Beach County circuit judge Wednesday of first-degree murder, burglary and arson following a three-day bench trial, according to court records.

Lachazo faces mandatory life in prison when he’s sentenced on April 5.

Lachazo and another man delivered a washer and dryer purchased from Best Buy to Evelyn Smith Udell’s Boca Raton home on Aug. 19, 2019, officials said.

After installing the appliances, the other man went outside while Lachazo stayed behind to explain to the retired librarian how to use the devices.

Minutes later, the witness reported hearing screams. He found Udell lying on the floor covered in blood and called 911.


  Evelyn Smith Udell, 75 — here with her husband, Joel — was struck in the head with a rubber mallet and set on fire by Lachazo. Family Handout Evelyn Smith Udell, 75 — here with her husband, Joel — was struck in the head with a rubber mallet and set on fire by Lachazo. Family Handout

Lachazo fled in the delivery truck but was later stopped by a police officer, investigators said.

Police said Lachazo admitted to striking the victim in the head, and also confessed to using cocaine and marijuana earlier that day.

Police found a rubber mallet used in the attack and a can of paint thinner used to start the fire next to Udell’s body, which scorched her skin. Prosecutors said both had Lachazo’s fingerprints on them.


  Lachazo was found guilty following a three-day bench trial in Palm Beach County. WPEC Lachazo was found guilty following a three-day bench trial in Palm Beach County. WPEC

  One of Udell’s two sons was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read. WPEC One of Udell’s two sons was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read. WPEC

Investigators also found that Udell’s wallet had been disturbed, suggesting theft as a motive for the deadly attack.

Defense attorneys didn’t deny that Lachazo attacked the older woman but argued the killing wasn’t premeditated or intentional — and pushed back against the prosecution’s narrative that the defendant was motivated by greed, the Palm Beach Postreported.

According to her online obituary, Udell is survived by her husband of 55 years, Joel, their two grown sons and six grandchildren.


  Udell was a retired librarian with two children and six grandkids. Family Handout Udell was a retired librarian with two children and six grandkids. Family Handout

One of the woman’s sons was present in the courtroom when Lachazo’s guilty verdict was announced, reducing him to tears. He will have a chance to deliver a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing.

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