An elderly Boca Raton, Florida woman was killed during a delivery of a washer and dryer she bought in Best Buy.

Evelyn Smith Udell, 75, received a delivery on August 19, 2019 at her home in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Two deliverymen brought in the appliances and helped her set them up. One of the men left the house, and the other remained inside and offered to give her instructions how to use them. 

Instead, he robbed and killed her, and tried to cover up the crime by burning her body.

The other deliveryman who left heard screams in the house and saw smoke. He returned to the home, saw Udell burning and dead on the floor, and called police. The attacker, later identified as Jorge Dupre Lachazo, attempted to escape using the delivery van but was apprehended later by police.

Police found Lachazo’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, a mallet that the man allegedly used to beat Udell. A can of acetone was found at the scene. When Lachazo was arrested, police found $203 in his pocket. Lachazo’s co-worker said that the tips they received that day were less than $203. Udell’s wallet was found open and it is speculated that the suspect stole the money from the elderly woman. 

Lachazo admitted to using cocaine and marijuana before the delivery and admitted he attacked Udell. His lawyers tried to convince the judge that he did not intend to kill her, saying that in his emotional state, which was influenced by drugs, he lost control during an intended robbery.

In January 2023, three years after the murder, Jorge Dupre Lachazo, 24, has been convicted of first-degree murder, burglary, and arson by Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss. The nonjury trial took three days. Lachazo’s mother and Udell’s son were both present in the courtroom when the decision was read.