‘American Idol’ Exec Robin Kaye Spoke Out About ‘Scary’ Encino Crime Just Days Before She and Her Husband Were Shot Dead Inside Their Home

“American Idol” executive Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, had met with members of the Los Angeles Police Department and opened up about their fears over rising crime in their neighborhood just days before they were shot dead inside their Encino home, it’s been revealed.

Kaye and Deluca, both 70, were found dead in their $5 million property by police on July 14, having suffered multiple gun wounds, according to a statement issued by the LAPD.

One day later, authorities arrested Encino resident Raymond Boodarian, 22, in connection with the murders of Kaye and Deluca. The suspect is accused of using the couple’s own weapon to murder them on July 10 in what is thought to have been an attempted burglary gone wrong.

Now, new details about the couple’s concerns about their safety at home have been revealed. According to People, Kaye and Deluca attended a Community Police Advisory Board meeting in their neighborhood on July 9—having already opened up about a “scary” break-in attempt at their property just a few weeks earlier.

The advisory board meeting saw multiple residents in attendance, many of whom were desperate for information on how police were planning to handle rising crime in the Encino area—concerns that were addressed during the event by LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.

Deluca and Kaye’s attendance at the event came just days after the latter had spoken out about several incidents that left her fearing for their safety at their dwelling during a neighborhood council meeting that took place over Zoom.

“Just a few weeks ago we had our own home invasion, as we were sleeping,” Kaye told attendees at the event. “They broke in, climbed our wall, smashed through our kitchen door. … It was scary.”

According to People, Kaye then raised concerns about a neighbor in their area who regularly rented out his home for late-night gatherings that were attended by hundreds of people, many of whom the “American Idol” executive described as “shady.”

“We have a guy next door that in the summer … he rents out the house to [brands], to companies, they pay him a lot of money, and he has hundreds of people,” Kaye said during the June 25 meeting.

“There’s a lot of shady people that show up that are kind of scary,” she added.

The outlet stated that Kaye went on to voice concern over the “garbage” that the guests were leaving “everywhere,” as well as the noise—before airing her fears about the neighbor in question, who she is said to have described as a “scary guy.”

“They are all over the streets. They leave garbage everywhere, and it’s, you know, you can’t be outside,” she said. “You can’t even hear in your own home. It’s so loud, and all the neighbors around here are having the same … you know, are just as concerned about it. He’s been arrested many times for other things, and he’s a scary guy.

“We’re not sure what to do. It’s been a problem for all of us. I think these parties houses are bringing a lot of attention to the neighborhood and bringing in a lot of crime.”

According to People, a lawsuit was ultimately filed against the neighbor, although it’s unclear where that legal process currently stands.

Additionally, it has since been revealed that police were called to Kaye and Deluca’s property twice on July 10—four days before officers found their bodies.

The first call is understood to have been placed by a neighbor, who said that they had seen a man attempting to scale a wall outside the home, while the second call was made by the suspect himself, who identified himself as the resident of the property and said that it had been broken into.

It was later revealed by authorities that the second call had been placed by the suspect, who used his own name when calling 911.

According to an affidavit filed by LAPD detectives, the 911 operator heard the caller plead, “please don’t shoot me,” before the line went dead.

On both occasions, police sent a helicopter to fly over the dwelling. But each time, officers saw no signs of disturbance and left after a few minutes, People reported.

Kaye and Deluca’s bodies were eventually discovered on July 14 after a loved one called for a welfare check, having heard nothing from the couple for several days.

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 Robin and Tom’s gun,” he said during a public safety meeting at the Encino Neighborhood Council, according to NBC News. “It was exceptionally tragic.”

Hochman also confirmed 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.

“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 and has yet to enter a plea for the crimes he stands accused of.

It’s understood that Boodarian entered the property through an unlocked door while the couple were 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®.