Robin Kaye, known for her work as a music supervisor on American Idol, and her husband Thomas Deluca, a musician, had imagined their move to an opulent mansion in a picturesque part of Los Angeles as a step toward tranquility. This home, situated a mere 20 miles from the chaotic core of downtown, seemed like a sanctuary.
However, the past year has shattered that peace for the residents of Encino, who now find themselves gripped by fear due to a wave of burglaries. Conversations among neighbors have turned towards drastic measures: purchasing firearms, organizing a neighborhood watch, and even hiring private security to safeguard their luxurious properties.
Kaye and Deluca are no strangers to this unsettling trend. In a jarring incident last May, their $4.5 million mansion on White Oak Avenue became a target for criminals. The break-in prompted them to seek estimates from security companies for installing a safe room, hoping to shield themselves from potential threats.
Despite their efforts to prepare for the worst, the couple found themselves confronted with the very nightmare they had hoped to prevent. The reality of increasing crime has turned their dream home into a fortress of anxiety.
Their $4.5million mansion on White Oak Avenue was broken into in May, and they reached out to a security firm for a quote on having a safe room fitted.
The couple were hoping to protect themselves from the most terrifying scenario possible, yet it happened anyway.
Kaye and Deluca, both 70, were shot and killed inside their home over the weekend. Their bodies are believed to have laid in the property for several days before police discovered them on Monday.
American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas DeLuca wanted to install upgraded security – including a panic room – before they were murdered in their Los Angeles mansion
Less than 24 hours later, Raymond Boodarian, 22, was arrested by police with guns drawn at his home in nearby Reseda.
Detectives revealed the suspect did not know the victims and had entered their home on July 10 to burglarize it.
CCTV footage revealed Boodarian had been in the property for approximately 30 minutes when the couple arrived home and he allegedly shot them both in the head.
Police added he did not force entry into the home and used an open door to get inside.
According to Kaye and Deluca’s neighbors, a person, who may have been armed, was spotted hopping a fence in the ritzy California neighborhood.
Now, a security expert who lived close to the couple has revealed to the Daily Mail they were about to install state-of-the-art security measures – including a panic room.
Kaye reached out to Guy Cohen from SecureIT Homes via a neighborhood chat group.
He visited the property on May 20 and drafted a plan to make the property safer.
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
Kaye reached out to Guy Cohen from SecureIT Homes via a neighborhood chat group. He visited the property on May 20 and drafted a plan to make the property safer
Her husband was a musician who last released an album called Street Rock in 2022
‘Robin reached out to me and wanted a consultation,’ Cohen, 44, told the Daily Mail. ‘She was nervous because they had just had a break-in the previous evening.
‘An intruder came in through the sliding glass door in the kitchen. They were home and the dog started barking and she yelled and the burglar ran away.’
Cohen recommended installing early detection equipment in the yard with an ‘infrared laser beam system’ to detect intruders on the premises.
He also suggested a new camera system with 24-hour monitoring by an outside company, along with shatter-resistant film on the windows.
There would also be a panic room installed in Kaye’s closet in the primary bedroom with a reinforced door and walls rated to fend off six men pounding for an hour.
‘We walked the house together,’ added Cohen. ‘Thomas showed me his guitar collection, his studio. The sad part is they didn’t even have valuables.
‘They didn’t have watches or purses or anything. It was more just they had a fancy house. It was more about personal protection, personal safety.
‘They said they were considering the proposal. They were going out of town and had some life things happening and said they would get back to me.
‘Unfortunately, it was just too late. This is something that could have been avoided.’
Cohen revealed that the couple had a handyman install sharp metal spikes along the top of the property’s perimeter walls and driveway gate – but that there were still some parts that hadn’t been upgraded, which ultimately allowed Boodarian to allegedly scale a wall.
Police have said they attempted to perform a wellness check at the home earlier on Monday but were unable to gain access.
‘Apparently the cops didn’t want to hop over the wall like the intruder did,’ Cohen said.
Kaye and her husband considered installing better security after their house was broken into in May when an intruder came in through a glass sliding door
‘So they just left and put up a helicopter which didn’t see anything from the air.
‘They should have verified that the homeowner is aware that somebody might have been in their backyard.
‘They should have come back to verify that everything was OK the same day. But they just said everything’s fine and they left. That was a big mistake.’
Cohen even pointed out his theory that the burglar could have been in the house when the police arrived.
‘I know how paranoid they are. I doubt that they left the door unlocked,’ he said of the couple.
Cohen noted that Encino and other parts of LA are rife with burglaries and are ‘being hit really hard right now by gangs.’
He explained that ‘you have all the foreigners that poured in. You had millions of people come into the country undetected.
‘There are all kinds of gangs here, including Chilean and Armenian.
‘You’ve got the local gangs and the imports – it’s like the perfect storm. LA is being hit everywhere.’
He said local gangs hire underage teenagers, usually aged 14 to 17, to burglarize homes who then get a ‘ticket out’ from courts when caught and then are released.
‘They get a slap on the wrist. There’s no repercussions for the minors. So the local gangs are using the minors to break into homes,’ he claimed.
He said LAPD is ‘overwhelmed’ by the spiraling number of break-ins, and blamed LA District Attorney Nathan Hockman for not being tougher on crime and criminals.
‘The judges are letting these people off the hook. The DA can recommend charges, but then the judge comes in and just says, ‘Nope, no charges for you,” he claimed.
Residents in their Encino neighborhood have reported a surge in crime over the last 12 months
Prior to their deaths, the couple had also been plagued by a neighboring party house where loud, late-night pool parties, often with naked women and rowdy guests, were the norm.
Neighbor Naomi Sadoun, 69, told the Daily Mail that tickets were sold online for the parties, with guests bused in from outside the area.
She would often see Kaye and Deluca walking with their dog and described them as ‘lovely people,’ adding, ‘Robin was always friendly to me.’
Sadoun said they were engaged in an ongoing battle over the wild parties and had hired an attorney to help.
‘The parties are out of control and the property owner doesn’t seem to care,’ said Sadoun.
‘Robin was really upset about it and told me her broker had disclosed the problem to them when they purchased the property.’
