LOS ANGELES — A man charged with fatally shooting a “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband in their Los Angeles home will be subjected to a mental evaluation to determine his fitness to stand trial, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
Raymond Boodarian, 22, was scheduled to be arraigned in a Los Angeles courthouse but did not enter a plea. A judge has suspended the criminal proceedings against him while a psychiatrist examines him to determine his competency.
He’s charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of longtime “American Idol” producer Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas Deluca, both 70, who were shot when they returned home unexpectedly during a burglary on July 10.
A judge in a mental health court will consider the evaluation and decide whether Boodarian will face trial or be committed to a state hospital.
Boodarian stood behind a window in the courtroom’s custody area, appearing to try to hide.
His lawyer declined to comment, and the district attorney’s office made no immediate comment.
Boodarian will be evaluated in the same small courthouse on Hollywood Boulevard where a man accused of stalking Jennifer Aniston and driving into the front gate of her home was recently found incompetent to stand trial.
Police said they responded to a 911 call reporting a burglary at Kaye and Deluca’s home in Los Angeles’ Encino neighborhood. Police said they found no evidence of forced entry or other issues and left.
Four days later, officers conducting a welfare check at the home discovered the couple’s bodies, shot to death. Boodarian was arrested the next day.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman later stated at a community meeting that investigators believe the couple arrived home unexpectedly while Boodarian was burglarizing it. Hochman said he shot them with their own gun and then called 911 himself.
Kaye had been with “American Idol” for over 15 years and was working on the upcoming season of the popular singing competition television series when she died.
She had previously worked in the music departments of a number of other productions, including “The Singing Bee,” “Hollywood Game Night,” “Lip Sync Battle,” and several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
