Suspect in Murders of ‘American Idol’ Exec Robin Kaye and Her Husband Called 911 Pretending To Be Them After Killings, Police Reveal

“American Idol” executive Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, were shot dead inside their Encino home by a suspect who called the police pretending to be them after using their own gun to kill them, authorities have revealed.

Kaye and Deluca, both 70, were found dead inside their $5 million home on July 14, both having suffered multiple gun wounds, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles Police Department.

One day later, authorities arrested a suspect who was identified as Encino resident Raymond Boodarian, 22, who is accused of using the couple’s own weapon to murder them.

According to an affidavit filed by LAPD detectives, the killer allegedly murdered the couple and then rang 911 from inside the home.

The affidavit claims that the 911 operator heard the caller utter, “please don’t shoot me,” before the call went out.

The warrant affidavit, which was obtained by People, revealed that there were two separate calls made on the day the murders took place.

The first call came from a neighbor, who reported a man attempting to break in. The operator noted that it was a “routine” burglary report and that they were told there was an “an unknown man with a tan complexion” climbing over the couple’s fence.

At the time, a police airship arrived to the scene, however, noted that there was no evidence of a break-in.

About 40 minutes later, a second call was dialed to 911 from inside the house.

The statement in the affidavit revealed that the 911 operator heard the caller say, “please don’t shoot me,” before cops were dispatched to the home.

According to L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, investigators believe that the gun used to shoot Kaye and Deluca was owned by the couple, and was present in their home when it was broken into.

“It was Robyn and Tom’s gun,” he said during a public safety meeting at the Encino Neighborhood Council, according to NBC News. “It wasn’t his gun. It was exceptionally tragic.”

Hochman also revealed that it was Boodarian who phoned police to alert them to the crime, explaining that the suspect used his own cellphone to make the call and gave responders his name, which led authorities to later track him down.

Hochman added that the suspect was arrested on July 15 “without incident.”

“Mr. Boodarian got caught because he used his cellphone to contact police concerning the situation, actually identified himself by name,” he said.

“Police were able to ping the cellphone, find out where he lived, go to his residence, and arrest him.”

Boodarian has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary. He faces life in prison if convicted of these crimes.

He is currently being held without bail at a correctional facility in Los Angeles.

Authorities believe that the shooting occurred on July 10—four days before the bodies of the victims were found in their home during a welfare check that was carried out by officers at the request of Kaye and Deluca’s loved ones.

It’s understood that Boodarian entered the property through an unlocked door while the couple was out shopping for groceries—only to discover him in their home when they returned.

“The victims returned home while the suspect was inside their residence, and a confrontation ensued, which resulted in the suspect taking their lives,” police previously stated. “The victims succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, and the suspect fled from the residence on foot.

“Homicide investigators worked diligently through the night and identified the suspect as 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian, a resident of Encino.”

The couple purchased the six-bedroom, six-bathroom dwelling for $4.5 million in 2023, according to property records seen by Realtor.com®.

Kaye, who began her career in Nashville, TN, according to her IMDB page, worked as a music supervisor on the hit talent show “American Idol” for more than 20 years, between 2002 and 2023.

Her other impressive screen credits included working on the Miss Universe contest in 2019 and the NAACP Image Awards for several years.

Kaye earned wide recognition for her work behind the scenes on these kinds of projects, including several Guild of Music Supervisors awards for her contributions to “American Idol.”

In 2019, she was named by Variety as one of several “music supervisors to watch,” with the outlet calling attention to her “tireless” efforts behind the scenes of so many shows.

The publication also shared a quote from Kaye about her work, in which she opened up about the less-than-glamorous aspects of her job.

“The general public assumes that music supervision is a glamorous and exciting job—being paid to work with one of everyone’s favorite pastimes, music,” she said.

“[But] in most films and scripted television … the music is usually the very last thing that happens, and sometimes there is not enough budget left to fill all the music needs. Music supervisors are often expected to work fast and pull miracles creatively and financially to complete the project.”