Man arrested in slayings of veteran 'American Idol' music supervisor Robin Kaye and husband in LA

Alexandra Del Rosario, Richard Winton and Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times on Jul 15, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — A 22-year-old man has been arrested in the fatal shootings of longtime “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom Deluca.

The couple are believed to have been killed after walking in on the suspect inside their $4.5 million Encino home, which is heavily secured, with a large wall and security cameras, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday afternoon. They were found in separate rooms in the house.

The killings appeared to be random, the sources said, with no connection between the victims and the suspect.

Officers responded Monday around 2:30 p.m. to a welfare check in the 4700 block of White Oak Avenue, where they discovered two people inside the home, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Meghan Aguilar. Paramedics responded and declared them dead at the scene. Kaye and Deluca, the owners of the home, were both 70.

Hours earlier, around midnight, police had received reports of gunshots at the house, police said. But LAPD officials on Tuesday morning could not provide any details about how officers responded to that initial report.

Homicide investigators identified the suspect as Raymond Boodarian, 22, who resided in Encino.

Boodarian was apprehended without incident by officers with Operations-Valley Bureau Homicide working with the Gang and Narcotics Division and the FBI Fugitive Task Force, sources said. Investigators were attempting to confirm whether Boodarian had any connection to Deluca and Kaye, and if Boodarian was involved in any past calls for service at the White Oak Avenue residence.

In a statement shared with The Times on Tuesday a spokesperson for “American Idol” said the team behind the singing competition was “devastated” by news of the couple’s deaths and remembered Kaye as “a cornerstone of the ‘Idol’ family.”

The statement continued: “(Kaye) 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.”

The identities of the two victims, whom KTLA said had been shot in the head, were not disclosed until late Tuesday morning. TMZ was first to report the deaths of Kaye and Deluca, citing law enforcement sources.

Kaye notably served as a music producer for “American Idol” from 2009 to 2023, working on nearly 300 episodes, according to IMDb. Her credits also include several “Miss Universe” TV specials, numerous NAACP Image Awards ceremonies, “The Singing Bee” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Deluca was a singer-songwriter best known for his 1986 album “Down to the Wire.” His most recent release was the album “Street Rock,” which came out in 2022.

The suspect in their slayings has a history of alleged criminal offenses, according to court records, including charges of battery, exhibiting a deadly weapon and threatening to commit a crime with the intent to terrorize. Charges were later dismissed following hearings related to mental competency and a conservatorship.

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