‘American Idol’ producers mourn music supervisor killed in apparent double homicide

KCAL, KCBS, FACEBOOK, ROBIN KAYE, TIM PINGEL, CNN, Facebook/Robin Kaye

By Alli Rosenbloom and Josh Campbell, CNN

(CNN) — Producers of the singing competition show “American Idol” are mourning the loss of one of their own.

Robin Kaye, who served as one of the show’s music supervisors for over a decade, and her husband Thomas Deluca were found dead in their Encino home on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The discovery came days after authorities were initially called to the residence last Thursday after receiving reports of someone jumping a fence at the couple’s home.

“We are devastated to hear of Robin and her dear husband, Tom’s, passing. Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her,” a representative for “American Idol” told CNN in a statement Tuesday.

The statement continued: “Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”

Police responded to the 4700 block of White Oak Avenue in Encino around 2:33pm on Monday after a friend requested a welfare check on the couple, whom the person had not heard from in days, LAPD said.

Officers “breached one of the glass windows, went inside the residence where they found both of the victims deceased, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds,” according to Lt. Guy Golan.

Golan said police were called to the home on July 10 after a neighbor reported seeing someone jumping a fence on the couple’s property.

Officers conducted an investigation but “were unable to make entry onto the property due to it being highly fortified,” Golan said. The LAPD flew a helicopter over the home but found “no signs of forced entry or trouble at the time,” he added.

Police said in a news release later on Tuesday they arrested 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian, a resident of Encino, in connection with the couple’s deaths.

According to the news release, Boodarian was allegedly burglarizing their home while the couple was away July 10.

“The victims returned home while the suspect was inside their residence, and a confrontation ensued, which resulted in the suspect taking their lives,” police said.

Boodarian has not yet been assigned a public defender.

Golan said he was identified “using the surveillance video at the residence, as well as some other forensic evidence at the scene.”

Surveillance footage indicated the suspect was in the home for approximately 30 minutes, according to investigators.

Tim Pingel, a neighbor, told CNN affiliate KABC that he saw police respond to a call in the area last week about a possible armed burglary suspect.

Another neighbor, Amee Faggen, told KABC that while she didn’t “see or hear anything,” her tenant did.

“My renter called 911 on Thursday because she saw somebody hopping the fence. And I have no idea if that was related or not,” Faggen said. “They came and left, the helicopters and police came. And I heard from my other neighbor that yesterday, the police came to do a wellness check, and the family said they hadn’t heard from them in four days.”

The couple was discovered after a friend called for a welfare check and let police in through a gate, according to KABC.

Kaye was a veteran music supervisor, having over 40 credits dating back to the late 1990s.

One of her first projects as a music consultant, according to her IMDb page, came in 1998 when she worked on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She went on to work as a music supervisor on many TV programs including “Nashville Star” in 2008, “The Singing Bee” between 2007 and 2011 and “Hollywood Game Night” between 2014 and 2016.

Kaye most notably spent over a decade working as a music supervisor for “American Idol” between 2009 and 2023.

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