L.A. Man Accused of Top ‘American Idol’ Staffer’s Home Murder Moved to Mental Health Court
The Los Angeles man who is facing murder and burglary charges in the killing of a longtime American Idol music supervisor and her husband in July has had his case transferred to a local mental health court after a judge suspended his arraignment on Wednesday when he was unresponsive when addressed from the bench.
Raymond Boodarian has “severe mental health issues,” his public defender told the court after he “stared off into space” while in a caged-off area, according to Judge Martin L. Herscovitz, as he was being questioned at his second appearance before the bench. The 22-year-old did not enter a plea on Wednesday during his appearance at the Van Nuys, California, courthouse, after the judge repeatedly tried to gain his attention. At the hearing, Boodarian was wearing a “suicide gown,” which is designed to prevent self-harm.
“One more time. Mr. Boodarian? Mr. Boodarian, can you hear me?” Judge Herscovitz asked the accused killer. “Let the record reflect that he’s still staring out into space and not responding to the court’s questions.”
Boodarian was arrested in mid-July after Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70, were found shot to death this week when police conducted a welfare check at the couple’s Encino property on Monday. Kaye is best known as the music supervisor on the long-running hit Idol, where she was responsible for clearing all songs used or performed on the show for the past 16 years.
Kaye and Deluca were returning home when they encountered Boodarian inside their property. LAPD Lt. Guy Golan told reporters in July that the young man is accused of hopping the fence surrounding the Encino property and then shooting and killing the couple during the struggle that ensued when they confronted him. The LAPD said in the week after their deaths that it had received two calls about a possible robbery when a man was spotted scaling the 8-foot-tall spike fence of the couple’s tightly secured property. This high wall prohibited officers from entering the home on White Oak Avenue when first seeking to check on the couple. The two bodies were discovered during a second welfare check four days after their deaths.
A press release following the killings said that the home showed no signs of forced entry. Authorities said in the shared statement from July that after scaling the fence, Boodarian entered the property through an unlocked door.
“The victims returned home while the suspect was inside their residence, and a confrontation ensued, which resulted in the suspect taking their lives,” the release states. “The victims succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds, and the suspect fled from the residence on foot.”
Boodarian, whose father was reportedly in court to support him, according to Rolling Stone, was sent back into custody with no bail set and was given a forthcoming date to appear in a mental health court on Sept. 3. Judge Herscovitz said that any arraignment on Boodarian’s murder charges would occur after he’s deemed mentally competent.
Kaye’s death saw an outpouring of love and support from the Idol team. Her other music supervision credits included work on Lip Sync Battle, After the Sunset and Q’Viva! The Chosen, among other projects. After starting out in the artist management side of the music industry, Kaye eventually joined the film and TV licensing department at MCA-Universal Records, and then ran the music licensing division at PolyGram Records. In 2000, Kaye launched her own company, SyncroniCity, and represented artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Kenny Loggins, Lang Lang, Donny Osmond and Steven Bishop.
