Latest news with #EncinoNeighborhoodCouncil
UPI
22-07-2025
- UPI
Suspect accused of using victims' gun in 'American Idol' murders
July 22 (UPI) -- Suspect Raymond Boodarian allegedly used a firearm owned by victims Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca to shoot and kill the couple inside their Encino, Calif., home on July 10. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman on Monday night said Boodarian, 22, used a gun owned by Kaye and Deluca to shoot and kill the couple and then called the police. "Mr. Boodarian got caught because he used his cell phone to contact police concerning the situation [and] actually identified himself by name," Hochman told attendees during a special meeting of the Encino Neighborhood Council. "Police were able to ping the cell phone, find out where he lived, go to his residence and arrest him." Hochman said police found the gun used to kill the couple at the crime scene. "The gun that was actually used in the murders wasn't [Boodarian's] gun," Hochman told meeting attendees. "It was a gun that he recovered from the actual house," he added. "It was Robin's and Tom's gun." More than 100 Encino residents attended an Encino Neighborhood Council meeting to discuss the matter on Monday night, which Hochman addressed. The residents were concerned that Boodarian was released from jail last year despite being suspected of battery, making threats and brandishing a weapon, ENC President Josh Sautter told NBC News. A judge dismissed the case following a mental health evaluation of Boodarian. Kaye and Deluca, both age 70, returned home on the evening of July 10 while Boodarian allegedly was inside to burglarize it, Hochman said. Local police discovered the victims' bodies while conducting a welfare check four days later on July 14. Los Angeles Police arrested Boodarian on July 15 and said he is an Encino resident. Boodarian is charged with two counts of murder during a robbery, one count of burglary, intentional use of a firearm and committing multiple murders. He is being held without bail and has an arraignment hearing scheduled on Aug. 20 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, during which he could enter a plea. Kaye was a music supervisor on the popular "American Idol" television show, and Deluca was a musician.
NBC News
22-07-2025
- NBC News
Suspect in killings of 'American Idol' supervisor and husband allegedly used their own gun against them
The suspect accused of killing an "American Idol" music supervisor and her husband in their Los Angeles home allegedly used the couple's own gun in the murders and called police, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. Raymond Boodarian, 22, allegedly killed Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca, both 70, on July 10 after the couple returned to their Encino home while he was burglarizing the residence, officials said. The couple was found dead last Monday after police conducted a welfare check and found blood at the door, according to Los Angeles police. Hochman shared the update about the suspect and alleged murder weapon during a public safety meeting hosted by the Encino Neighborhood Council to discuss the incident on Monday night. Over 100 concerned Encino residents attended the meeting to demand answers as to why Boodarian was out on the streets, despite being jailed last year on suspicion of battery, displaying a weapon and making threats, Encino Neighborhood Council President Josh Sautter told NBC News A judge dismissed the case in December after hearings concerning Boodarian's mental health, NBC Los Angeles reported. At the meeting, Hochman said Boodarian was arrested the day after the couple's bodies were found. "Mr. Boodarian got caught because he used his cell phone to contact police concerning the situation, actually identified himself by name," Hochman said during the meeting. "Police were able to ping the cell phone, find out where he lived, go to his residence and arrest him." Hochman also said investigators found the gun used in the double murder, and that it did not belong to Boodarian. "It was Robyn and Tom's gun," he said. "It wasn't his gun. It was exceptionally tragic." Boodarian is believed to have entered the couple's home at around 4 p.m. through an unlocked door on July 10, according to officials. Kaye and Deluca returned home from the grocery store and found Boodarian there, prosecutors said. 'In a matter of moments, this couple was senselessly killed in their own home as they returned from the grocery store,' Hochman said in a statement issued last week. Police were called to the couple's home on the same day for a report of a possible burglary, but officers did not see any evidence of a crime, the police department said last week. Their bodies were found last Monday after someone requested a welfare check after not hearing from one of the residents for several days, police said. Kaye had been working for "American Idol" since 2009, according to a spokesperson for the show. Sautter, who met Kaye after she contacted the neighborhood council regarding a safety issue concerning a house next door, said she was "so full of joy and gratitude." "You could feel her joy for life," Sautter said. Boodarian was arrested last Tuesday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary, but the charges are with special allegations, like multiple murder, that would increase a possible sentence. If convicted, Boodarian could face life in prison, officials said. He is being held without bail in a Los Angeles correctional facility, according to online records. The Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, who represents Boodarian, according to records, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boodarian's next court date is scheduled for Aug. 20, per online records. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police are trying to determine if there was a connection between Boodarian and the couple.
