Silke Jasso
Hey Best Buy, you might want to run some background checks before you send someone to the customer’s house. A delivery worker for JB Home Delivery, a local company subcontracted by Best Buy, is accused of beating an innocent elderly woman with a mallet, dousing her with a toxic chemical, and literally setting her on fire inside her Boca Raton home.
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According to authorities, police responded to the customer’s home in Colonnades at Glen Oaks community at 9:15 a.m. Officers said they found the 75-year-old woman unconscious on the laundry room floor with severe head trauma, bleeding in her brain, and severe burns all around her body. Unfortunately, the woman passed away from the injuries.
Truck driver David Gonzalez and Jorge Dupre Lachazo, 21, had delivered a new washer and dryer to the victim’s home that morning. After the new appliances were installed, Gonzalez went outside to return some phone calls. Lachazo remained inside the residence with the victim to show her how to use the appliances and answer any questions.
#BREAKING: Best Buy suspends relationship with delivery company after police say delivery man beat, burned elderly woman in Boca Raton home https://t.co/rVWOoJwEVR pic.twitter.com/iJsZ2zho0t
— WPTV (@WPTV) August 20, 2019
Gonzalez then said he heard multiple screams coming from inside and when he went back in the home, noticed blood on the laundry room floor where the victim was lying. He told authorities that Lachazo was acting strange and said he had to leave. Both men got into the delivery truck and quickly fled the scene.
According to the arrest report, officers stopped the delivery man in the 7100 block of W. Glades Road, and was “very sweaty and was shaking as if he was nervous.” Officers also noticed the hair on his legs was burned and he had ashes on them. The arrest report stated that back at the residence police officers found burn marks in the laundry room along with charred debris and clothing on the floor, and a strong chemical odor in the air. A wooden-handled mallet was also on top of the washing machine and had blood on it.
Boca Raton Police also found a wine bottle on the floor and a long hair in dried blood on it. In the kitchen, police said the stove was pulled away from the wall and a blue metal can of Acetone without a lid was on the counter. All burners on the kitchen stove were turned on.
.@BestBuy releases statement after an elderly woman was brutally attacked + set on fire by a delivery man Monday in Boca Raton. Best Buy says it suspended its relationship w/ subcontractor, JB Home Delivery, and closed it’s Boca store today out of respect for the family. @WPTV pic.twitter.com/SGRyt9APqC
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesWPTV) August 20, 2019
Detectives said Lachazo admitted that he was inside the victim’s home showing her how to use the appliances and then hit her on the head with the mallet knocking her out. The arrest report stated,”[Lachazo] made a physical motion with his hands indicating that he doused [the victim] and room with the chemical agent. He then made a motion with his hands that the chemical spontaneously combusted.” His fingerprints were found on the can of Acetone.
Lachazo admitted to police officers that he had recently used cocaine and marijuana through a vape, however, the motive of the crime remains unclear. Which is shocking to me because there has to be a very specific reason for someone to commit this type of tragedy on an innocent person. It’s brutal. Call me crazy, but weed doesn’t make you hit someone on the head with that much force. This man probably has some mental issues that need to be dealt with as soon as possible and needs to be locked in jail forever.
Geez, we have all had an occasional bad delivery experience but, Best Buy, WTF? He beat an elderly woman, poured acetone on her and set her on fire? Who are you outsourcing to and what kind of checks do you do on your vendors? This is insane. https://t.co/JQsMnoAKFD
— Larry Lynam (@scopedbylarry) August 20, 2019
He faced charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older, and arson causing great bodily harm. The judge denied Lachazo bond in court and ordered him not to have any contact with the Boca Raton woman’s family, witnesses, or the company that he worked for.
Although the worker was under contract with JB Home Delivery, Best Buy did release a statement saying that it’s taking action following the attack. They are suspending its relationship with that local subcontracted delivery company and is hiring an independent security firm to review the screening and safety programs.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on August 20, 2019.
