Man accused of killing American Idol exec and her husband ruled incompetent to stand trial
The accused killer of an American idol executive and her husband has been ruled “not presently competent” to stand trial on murder charges.
Raymond Boodarian, 22, allegedly broke into the Los Angeles home of music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, in July, shooting them both dead.
On Thursday, Boodarian was ruled as incompetent by L.A. Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi, announcing he had been moved to a state facility to treat a “psychiatric condition with psychotropic medication”.
“The defendant lacks the capacity to make decisions,” Judge Cavalluzzi said.
“Restoration is in the interest of justice because this is a homicide case.”
On July 10, Kaye and Deluca, both 70, were shot dead in their $4.5 million Encino home in a crime that shocked the affluent Los Angeles-area community.
Death certificates obtained by People reveal the couple both died from multiple gunshot wounds after they returned home from grocery shopping. Deluca was killed within seconds, Kaye died minutes later, the certificate says.
It took four days until the couple’s bodies were found on July 14, when police performed a welfare check, where they found the front door unlocked and the security system disabled, according to a police affidavit seen by People.
Investigators believe the couple was shot with a gun that belonged to them, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said last month.
Los Angeles received two reports of a possible burglary, as one saw a man jump a fence. Police responded but left when they did not find evidence of forced entry.
The other call came from Boodarian, who used his cellphone and provided his name, which helped police track him down later. The 22-year-old was arrested on July 15 and charged on July 17 with two counts of murder and one count of first-degree residential burglary.
On August 20, Boodarian appeared in court wearing a suicide gown and failed to get the attention of Judge Martin Herscovitz.
Judge Hercovitz repeatedly tried to get Boodarian’s attention, but he failed to respond when addressed.
Public defender Nancy Kolokotrones said her client had “severe mental health issues”.
“He’s appearing today in a suicide gown,” she said, referring to a protective garment often worn by individuals in custody who are considered at risk of harming themselves.
Herscovitz suspended the arraignment and scheduled Boodarian to appear in mental health court for a competency review on September 3.
“The record will reflect he’s staring into space and not responding to the court’s questions,” Herscovitz told the court. “Due to this behaviour, the court entertains a doubt as to the defendant’s mental competency.”
