In July 2025, the American Idol community was left reeling when news broke that longtime music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, had been found fatally shot in their Los Angeles home. Police arrested the suspected shooter, 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian, the following day. Recently, a Los Angeles judge deemed Boodarian, charged with two counts of murder, incompetent to stand trial in the case.
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‘American Idol’ Exec Shooting Suspect Has “Severe Mental Health Issues”
During a hearing Friday (Dec. 19), Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi ordered Boodarian to be “committed to the California Department of State Hospitals for treatment to restore competency,” Rolling Stone reports. Cavalluzzi set a follow-up status hearing for March 19.
The judge made the same decision last month, but ultimately withdrew it, saying she wanted to see Boodarian in person. Boodarian reportedly refused transportation to the Nov. 13 hearing, and again to the courthouse on Friday.
Prior to the Dec. 19 ruling, Boodarian’s defense attorney, Nancy Kolocotronis, told the judge her client had stopped communicating with her. He was similarly non-responsive during a court hearing in August, where he appeared in a “suicide gown.”
“He does have severe mental health issues,” Kolocotronis told the judge.
Police say American Idol exec Robin Kaye and her husband, both 70, interrupted Boodarian while he was burglarizing their home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles on July 10. When the couple arrived home from a shopping trip, Boodarian allegedly shot them multiple times before fleeing the scene.
Los Angeles police found the bodies of Kaye and Deluca four days later during a welfare check.
If found competent, tried, and convicted, Boodarian could face the death penalty or a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“A Cornerstone of the ‘Idol’ Family”
Before joining American Idol in 2009, Robin Kaye first worked for Waylon Jennings in Nashville, later joining MTM Records as vice president of artist development and broadcast media. She later started her own company, SyncroniCity, in 2000, representing the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Kenny Loggins, and Donnie Osmond.
Kaye’s resume also included Lip Sync Battle, Hollywood Game Night, the NAACP Image Awards, and the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. Deluca was a songwriter and performer who composed music for artists including Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, according to the website Melodic Rock Classics.
Following the double homicide, American Idol issued a statement calling Kaye “a cornerstone of the Idol family.”
Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time,” the statement read.
Featured image by Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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