WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a Hialeah man accused of fatally beating and burning a 75-year-old woman after delivering a washer and dryer from Best Buy to her Boca Raton home.
Palm Beach County Assistant State Attorney Reid Scott on Monday filed the notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Jorge Lachazo.
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Boca Raton police said Lachazo, 21, beat Evelyn Smith Udell with a mallet and doused her with a chemical he found in the house, setting her on fire.
Police said Lachazo drove away in the delivery truck while his co-worker, David Gonzalez, called 911.
Smith Udell later died at Delray Medical Center.
Lachazo is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson and armed burglary with battery.
The family for Smith Udell has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Best Buy and the third-party companies contracted to facilitate the delivery of the appliances.