DELAYED DISCOVERY

Suspected Killer of ‘American Idol’ Exec Called 911

The 22-year-old suspect allegedly used Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca’s own gun to kill the couple.

The suspect accused of killing an American Idol music supervisor and her husband allegedly used the couple’s own gun in the murder and then called the police, but it took another four days for their bodies to be discovered.

Raymond Boodarian, 22, allegedly shot Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas Deluca, both 70, after the couple returned home from the grocery store to find him burglarizing their $4.5 million mansion in Encino, California, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

A neighbor first called 911 to report a man trying to break into the couple’s home shortly after 4 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Times, which cited a search warrant affidavit by the San Fernando Valley homicide unit.

A second call came in roughly 40 minutes later from someone inside the house, the Los Angeles Times said. The person claimed to be a resident reporting a burglary.

The warrant reportedly states that the 911 operator could hear the caller saying, “Please don’t shoot me,” to someone, before advising that a police response was not necessary.

It’s unclear whether the caller was Boodarian or one of the victims. But Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that Boodarian used his own cell phone to contact police, according to NBC News.

Officers responding to the calls searched the area and attempted to enter the home through two access points, both of which were locked.

“After taking additional steps to contact the persons reporting and residents at the location, officers cleared from the scene,” LAPD spokesperson Jennifer Forkish said, according to NBC News.

Kaye and DeLuca’s bodies were discovered by police four days later during a welfare check prompted by a neighbor who was concerned about having not seen them for a few days. They had been shot multiple times and were found in separate rooms.

Boodarian was arrested the day after the bodies were discovered, tracked down through the 911 call he had reportedly placed.

“Police were able to ping the cell phone, find out where he lived, go to his residence and arrest him,” Hochman said.

Boodarian, who was reportedly arrested three times between November 2023 and June 2024 for allegations of battery and threatening to stab his mother with a knife, has been charged with two counts of murder, burglary and special allegations for multiple murders, personal discharge of a firearm and murder while engaging in robbery. He could face life in prison if convicted.

TRAGEDY

New Twist in Killing of ‘American Idol’ Exec After Arrest

Amber Levis

Kaye was a music supervisor on American Idol for almost 300 episodes and won three Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for her work on the show. Deluca was a solo rock artist who released his debut album, Down to the Wire, in 1986. He was also a signed songwriter with MCA Records.

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