Authorities were able to trace a suspect in the grisly slaying of an American Idol executive and her musician spouse in their Los Angeles residence through a fingerprint match.
Raymond Boodarian, a 22-year-old, was apprehended on Monday for the alleged murders of Robin Kaye and Thomas DeLuca, both aged 70, at their elegant home in Encino.
Boodarian is accused of fatally shooting the couple during what is believed to have been a botched burglary last Thursday. Investigators are now probing whether he became aware of the couple’s affluence during an earlier visit to their property.
The identification of the suspect was made possible by a fingerprint found at the crime scene, complemented by surveillance footage, as reported by TMZ.
His fingerprints were already in the Los Angeles Police Department’s database, a result of prior legal issues.
In the aftermath of the tragic incident, a significant police error has also come to light, adding to the unfolding drama.
Police had received a radio call Thursday reporting a person jumping a fence onto the property, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. However, officers left the ‘highly fortified’ home after they were unable to enter and found no signs of forced entry.
Boodarian entered the home through an unlocked door after scaling a fence, according to surveillance footage cited by police. That means the couples bodies may have lain inside the home for hours after investigators failed to access the property.
Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca, both 70, were brutally shot to death inside their home on Monday
On Monday night, a suspect was spotted hopping a fence to enter the home (pictured) of an American Idol music executive and her husband in the ritzy California neighborhood of Encino
Authorities witnessed blood at the front entrance of the couple’s home before breaking through a window to enter the property (pictured)
When the couple returned home and encountered him, ‘a confrontation ensued, which resulted in the suspect taking their lives,’ police said. Boodarian then fled the area on foot.
‘My renter saw someone hopping the fence back on Thursday and she called 911,’ a homeowner in the LA neighborhood told KTLA. ‘But we [haven’t] heard anything since then, so we have no idea if it’s even related or not.’
Officers were called to the six-bedroom home for a welfare check after relatives said they had not heard from the couple for days. When they entered the home, they discovered Kaye and Deluca both shot in the head in different rooms.
The killings appear to be random, but police are looking into any past interactions between the suspect and the couple, including any possible service calls to the home.
He has a criminal history that includes charges of battery, exhibiting a deadly weapon and threatening to commit a crime with the intent to terrorize
American Idol released a statement following news of Kaye’s death this week.
‘Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her,” an American Idol spokesperson said in a statement.
Over the years, Kaye won several Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for her work on American Idol
Her husband was a musician who last released an album called Street Rock in 2022
‘Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.’
Kaye worked as the music supervisor for singing competition American Idol for the last 15 seasons, or nearly 300 episodes, per her IMDB page.
Robin Kaye (left) often rubbed shoulders with celebrities. She and her husband (right) are seen with Dolly Parton (second from left) in 2009
The music supervisor also worked in the music departments of several other productions such as The Singing Bee, Hollywood Game Night, Lip Sync Battle, and several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
Her husband was a musician who last released an album called Street Rock in 2022. Deluca penned songs for popular hit makers, including Kid Rock, the band Molly Hatchet and Meredith Brooks.
After Boodarian’s arrest, his horrified neighbors told of his strange behavior.
One neighbor, who did not want to be named, would occasionally see Boodarian roaming the complex ‘looking really, really disturbed.’
The neighbor said she could often see when Boodarian’s lights were on in his bedroom because of a shared wall. She eerily described how he would sometimes have an ‘episode’ and appear ‘ready to break the walls.’
‘It feels like he’s gonna break right through the wall and is coming into my place,’ she revealed.
‘The cops have been here in the past,’ the neighbor added. ‘The mother’s called and said “I can’t control him.”‘
The neighbor claimed that on at least one occasion, he had to be strapped to a stretcher and removed from the property.
