What Happened to American Idol Staffer Robin Kaye and Her Husband? Everything to Know About the Fatal Shooting (and Why It Took 4 Days to Find Their Bodies) By Emily Blackwood

Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca were shot and killed in their multi-million-dollar Los Angeles home on July 10. While police arrested the man responsible days later, questions remain over whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

The same day of the murders, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to two 911 calls at the couple’s home but left without entering the property. Deluca, a musician, and Kaye, who worked as a music supervisor at American Idol for over 20 years, were found fatally shot inside their home four days later, after officers responded to a welfare check. 

On July 15, 22-year-old Encino resident Raymond Boodarian was arrested and charged with their murder. 

Kris Herzog, owner of a security company that Kaye reached out to months before her death, said the LAPD’s policy of not entering a property without obvious probable cause may have delayed the discovery of the crime. 

“Hundreds of departments around the country have the opposite policy,” he told PEOPLE. “You get a burglar-there-now call, you jump the wall, you make sure those residents are OK. You try to apprehend the burglar. LAPD does not have that policy.” 

The LAPD declined to comment on Herzog’s claims, but Lt. Guy Golan said that the officers who responded to the 911 calls on July 10 were “unable to make entry onto the property due to it being highly fortified.”  

So, what happened to Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca? Here’s everything to know about the double murder and why it took so long for police to find their bodies. 

Kaye and Deluca were found dead in their Los Angeles home on July 14

On July 14, the LAPD conducted a welfare check on a $4.5 million home in Encino, Calif. A friend grew concerned after they hadn’t heard from the pair, and provided officers with a key code to the house. 

Detectives discovered the couple in separate rooms and pronounced them dead at the scene, both having suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Kaye was found in the pantry, and Deluca was discovered in the bathroom. They were both 70 years old. 

Police arrested Boodarian for their murders a day later

Forensic evidence and surveillance footage led officers to arrest Boodarian on July 15. They believe that Kaye and Deluca walked in on the suspect while he was in their home and confronted him, which turned deadly. Though the couple’s home has been described as heavily secured with an eight-foot barrier and security cameras, police say that the 22-year-old entered through an unlocked door. 

“The victims returned home while the suspect had gained entry into the residence, and a confrontation ensued, which resulted in the suspect taking their lives,” authorities said. “The victims succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, and the suspect fled from the residence on foot.”

LAPD claimed that the killings appear to be random and have found no connection between Boodarian and the couple. The suspect, who has a documented criminal history, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of burglary.

Boodarian’s bail was denied, and he was transferred to jail, where he’ll remain until his arraignment on Aug. 20. 

Investigators believe the couple interrupted an attempted burglary

Police believe that while Kaye and Deluca were out grocery shopping, Boodarian entered their home and was inside for around 30 minutes before they arrived. 

During a town hall meeting on July 21, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Boodarian found the couple’s gun inside their home and used it to shoot them execution-style multiple times, per CBS News. 

Police responded to two 911 calls at the home on the day of the murder, but didn’t go inside

On July 10, LAPD responded to two possible burglary calls at Kaye and Deluca’s residence — the same day the couple was killed, according to a felony complaint filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles. The second call reported an armed suspect. 

According to police sources, LAPD officers visited their home around the time the suspect was believed to be inside. They walked the perimeter of the house, and a helicopter flew over the property. But because they saw no suspicious activity and claimed that no one inside the home responded, they left. 

At around 4:12 p.m., a neighbor called 911 after seeing a man jump the fence. Officers and a helicopter arrived shortly after, but left when they found no evidence of forced entry. 

Boodarian made the second 911 call after the murders and pretended to be the victim

Around 4:53 p.m., the second 911 call came in and reported that a suspect had broken into the office of that same home and was armed. The caller — who identified themselves as the resident of the home — was allegedly Boodarian.

Hochman said during the July town hall meeting that the suspect used his cellphone to call the police and report a break-in. According to the probable cause statement in the affidavit, the 911 operator heard the caller say, “Please don’t shoot me,” and gave his real name. 

Boodarian then told the operator that a police response wasn’t necessary, and any follow-up attempts to reach him again were “not successful,” LAPD Communications Director Jennifer Forkish told PEOPLE.  

“Officers arrived on scene and conducted a check of the surrounding area and attempted to visually check the residence through the security gate,” she said in a July 2025 interview. “They attempted entry at two access points but both were locked and secured … The Air Ship visually checked the location and advised there was no visible activity or evidence of a break-in.”

It’s unclear when officers arrived, but after canvassing the home, they cleared the scene and left again. The couple’s time of death was later recorded to be 4:14 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner. 

A multi-agency task force has been assigned to investigate why police didn’t enter the home on July 10. 

The couple’s home had been burglarized before

Kaye and Deluca regularly attended neighborhood council meetings, where they voiced their concerns for safety and shared that they had been victims of a burglary before. In a June 2025 Zoom meeting — less than a month before the July 10 break-in — the American Idol executive shared her most recent scare. 

“Just a few weeks ago, we had our own home invasion — as we were sleeping,” Kaye said. “They broke in, climbed our wall, smashed through our kitchen door … it was scary.”

She also voiced concerns about a neighbor allegedly known for hosting parties with “lots of shady people,” calling him “a scary guy” and claiming he had multiple past arrests. This unnamed neighbor has been cleared of involvement in Deluca and Kaye’s murders. 

There was also an attempted burglary at their home in May 2024, but the two suspects fled the scene before the couple could call for help. 

Kaye expressed fear about living in her home

The late American Idol producer also reached out to a private security company after an increase of burglaries in her neighborhood. She allegedly spoke with Herzog, the owner, who told PEOPLE that the home’s alarm system was off and the door was open at the time of the murders. 

“This is the first time in my career that what I predicted potentially could happen 90,000 times … actually happened,” he said. “The door was left open. The alarm was turned off. And Boodarian walked right in. I told [Kaye] at the time … You have to be able to defend yourself if you only have a second notice.”