Who Is Raymond Boodarian? Suspect Arrested in Murder of American Idol Executive Robin Kaye and Her Husband in LA Home During Attempted Burglary

International Business Times

4 days ago

A suspect has been arrested after an American Idol executive and her husband were found murdered inside their $5 million home in Los Angeles. Police arrested Raymond Boodarian, 22, on Tuesday after they found Robin Kaye, 70, an award-winning music supervisor, and her husband, Thomas Deluca, shot dead on Monday afternoon.
Boodarian had already been inside the couple's home for nearly 30 minutes on July 10 when they unexpectedly arrived home. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Boodarian entering the lavish property during an attempted burglary. He didn't break in but instead accessed the house through an unlocked entry point before shooting dead both Kaye and her husband when they confronted him.
Cold-Blooded Murder
Robin Kaye with husband Thomas Deluca Instagram
Boodarian allegedly shot both victims during a confrontation after they caught him in the middle of the burglary. Police believe the incident was isolated and that Boodarian acted independently.
On the day the couple died, the LAPD received two reports of a potential break-in. However, when officers arrived, they were unable to enter the property due to the home's heavy security, according to ABC7.
With no visible signs of a break-in and no warnings from a police helicopter surveying the area, officers saw no immediate threat and eventually left the scene.
Officers returned to the six-bedroom mansion four days later, around 2:30 pm after receiving a call requesting a welfare check. They broke a rear window to gain entry into the house.
After entering, they found both Kaye and Deluca shot in the head. Investigators witnessed blood near the front door before forcing their way in through the window, according to TMZ.
Neighbors reported seeing someone—possibly armed—jumping a fence along the upscale, tree-lined street in the exclusive California neighborhood.
Neighbor Naomi Sadoun, 69, said she often saw the couple walking together in the area, sometimes accompanied by their dog, and remembered them as "lovely people."
She added that concerned relatives arrived at the Encino property on White Oak Avenue the previous evening but were kept outside by police.
Family and Friends Devastated
Robin Kaye X
After news of the heartbreaking deaths broke, American Idol released a statement describing Kaye as " a cornerstone of the Idol family." "We are devastated to hear of Robin and her dear husband, Tom's, passing," a spokesperson told Daily Mail.
"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.
"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 "American Idol" for the past 15 seasons, contributing to around 300 episodes, according to her IMDb profile.
In her illustrious career, she won multiple Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for her exceptional work on the show. Her impressive résumé also includes work on popular shows such as "Lip Sync Battle", "Hollywood Game Night", and "Worn Stories."
Kaye also worked for the NAACP Image Awards, "The Singing Bee", "Miss USA", "Miss Universe", "American Inventor", "The Dance Scene", "Dance Your A* Off*", "Your Chance to Dance", "Adventures of Power", and "Crashed."
Her husband was a musician whose most recent album, Street Rock, was released in 2022.
According to his website, Deluca's first album, the critically acclaimed cult classic "Down To The Wire", was released by Epic Records in 1986.
Public records show that the happy couple bought their Encino home in January 2023.