BOCA RATON, FLORIDA: Florida prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for an appliance delivery man who has been accused of beating an elderly woman to death before setting her on fire.

MEAWW previously reported that Jorge Luis Dupre Lachazo, 21, was charged with first-degree murder, arson, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon of a person over the age of 65 in connection with the death of 75-year-old Evelyn Smith Udell in August. He was also fired from his job as a delivery man at JB Home Delivery, a subcontractor of Best Buy.

According to Palm Beach County court records filed in the case, the local State Attorney's office has now filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty this past week, citing that the crime committed was "heinous, atrocious, and cruel."

The brutal killing unfolded after Udell had called Lachazo and David Gonzalez, another delivery man with JB Home Delivery, to her home in Boca Raton to install a washer and a dryer. When Gonzalez made his way outside for a phone call, Lachazo is said to have attacked Udell with a hammer, injuring her severely, and then set her on fire after dousing her with the acetone that was in the kitchen.

On hearing the elderly woman's screams, Gonzalez ran inside and found her lying on the floor with blood all over. Fearing for his life, he rushed out of the house and called 911, at which point Lachazo got into their truck and escaped.

When authorities arrived at Udell's residence, they found the 75-year-old lying on the floor in her laundry room, engulfed in flames. Despite their best efforts, they could not save her.

Another responding officer intercepted Lachazo's truck and took him into custody, with an arrest report stating that he was shaking, sweaty, and nervous. It also stated that the hair on his legs was burned and that he was covered in ash.

Gonzalez told the police that he had noticed that Lachazo was behaving strangely and told him repeatedly that they had to leave the home. When questioned, the 21-year-old reportedly confessed to the murder and admitted to using cocaine and marijuana earlier in the day.

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