A 92-year-old developer was discovered useless inside his Hermosa Seaside house and a 39-year-old suspect who had been barricaded inside the identical property has been charged within the loss of life.
The invention led to an hours-long standoff between police and a suspect discovered inside the house who was detained whereas carrying a darkish swimsuit, tie, sun shades and fedora.
The weird case started when Hermosa Seaside Police had been known as Saturday to the house of Demetrius Doukoullos within the 500 block of The Strand for a welfare examine after somebody known as officers and mentioned Doukoullos, who lived alone, had not been heard from in a number of days, in line with an announcement from the Hermosa Seaside Police Division.
Police discovered Doukoullos useless inside however investigators imagine the beachfront house developer could have been useless for a number of days, in line with police and courtroom filings.
Officers additionally discovered a second individual inside who didn’t reside on the house, in line with police.
“The person was uncooperative, made statements indicating probably being armed, and barricaded themselves contained in the residence,” in line with the assertion.
SWAT officers and a number of legislation enforcement companies, together with police from the cities of El Segundo and Hawthorne, responded because the suspect barricaded themselves, prompting an hours-long standoff between the suspect and officers earlier than Doukoullos’ physique might be eliminated.
Seven hours later, and with the assistance of disaster negotiators, the suspect was taken into custody.
Reserving data recognized the suspect with two names: Robert Phillip Simmons and Elanor Beaulieu. In accordance with Los Angeles County jail data, Simmons was held in lieu of $2,001,000 bail.
The case is being investigated by Los Angeles County Sheriff Division’s murder bureau.
Lt. Steve De Jong of the sheriff’s murder bureau declined to touch upon the case, and mentioned investigators are nonetheless attempting to find out how, and if, the sufferer and the suspect may need identified one another.
“We’re nonetheless within the early levels of the investigation,” he mentioned.
Prosecutors charged Simmons on Tuesday with one rely of homicide. In accordance with the indictment, Simmons is believed to have killed Doukoullos someday between March 7 and March 14.
Simmons was recognized in courtroom filings as Simmons, and Beaulieu as an alias.
Reserving data additionally present Simmons had contact with police days earlier than the killing. Simmons had been detained by Redondo Seaside police simply after 4 p.m. on Feb. 23 on a name of a petty theft from a retailer, in line with Redondo Seaside Police Lt. Vincent Dileva. Simmons was launched later that day with a quotation.
County reserving data for that arrest recognized Simmons as nonbinary.
Simmons was additionally arrested on Feb. 5, 2025, by the Los Angeles Police Division’s Wilshire division and launched the next day after the cost was dismissed.
A spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to inquiries in regards to the alleged crime that prompted the arrest.
De Jong mentioned investigators are requesting the general public’s assist concerning the Doukoullos case, and asking anybody with data to contact the division’s murder bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 213-628-2013.
