‘American Idol’ music supervisor and husband killed with their own gun: DA

(LOS ANGELES) — The gun allegedly used in the killing of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband at their home in Los Angeles belonged to the victims, according to prosecutors.

Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70, were found shot to death in their Los Angeles home during a welfare check on July 14, authorities said. Kaye had been with “American Idol” since 2009, according to a spokesperson for the ABC television show.

Responding officers found the victims dead with multiple gunshot wounds, including to the head, police said.

It is believed the couple was killed four days earlier, when the Los Angeles Police Department said it received two calls about a possible burglary at the Encino address.

The suspect — 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian — is accused of scaling a fence onto the property that day, entering the home through an unlocked door and then shooting and killing the couple when they arrived home from the grocery store about 30 minutes later, authorities said.

A firearm recovered from the suspect’s Encino residence came from the victim’s home, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

“It was a gun that he had recovered from the actual house. It was Robin and Tom’s gun,” Hochman said during a public safety forum in Encino on Monday. “It wasn’t his gun. Which is exceptionally tragic.”

Boodarian was arrested on July 15 and has since been charged with two counts of murder and a count of residential burglary, with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a burglary, the district attorney’s office said. He has not yet entered a plea to the charges. He is being held without bail and his next court hearing is Aug. 20.

Hochman said officers were led to Boodarian after the suspect called police.

“Mr. Boodarian got caught because he used his cellphone to contact police concerning this situation,” Hochman said during Monday’s meeting. “Police were able to ping the cellphone, find out where he lived, go to his residence and arrest him.”

LAPD Deputy Chief Marla Ciuffetelli told attendees of the packed forum that police are continuing to assess the initial July 10 response to the couple’s home.

Officers were unable to make entry into the home, which Ciuffetelli said was “quite fortified.” Police flew a helicopter over and saw no signs of a burglary or any other trouble and cleared the scene, detectives previously said.

“We’re always striving to try to respond better,” Ciuffetelli said. “We’re taking a very close look at the response. I’m not saying that there was any mistakes made, but we’re making sure that in similar circumstances, that we respond appropriately.”

In the wake of the killings, LAPD Capt. Michael Bland said the department was upping patrols overnight in Encino.

“This is not something we take lightly,” he told the crowd.