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The body of a 92-year-old real estate developer could have been decomposing for days before he was found dead inside his Hermosa Beach home. The new details follow a bizarre standoff with a suspect who had been holed up inside for hours, authorities said.
Demetrius Doukoullos, a longtime property owner in the quiet coastal community, had not been seen for several days before someone requested a welfare check at his residence.
Neighbors had also reported a foul odor coming from the home, raising alarm.
When officers arrived, they encountered a 39-year-old suspect already inside the house who refused to come out and claimed to be armed.
The suspect, identified as Robert Simmons, who also goes by Eleanor Beaulieu and is described in reports as a transgender woman, barricaded themselves inside a bedroom and triggered a tense, hours-long standoff with police and SWAT teams.
After roughly seven hours, negotiators convinced the suspect to surrender without further incident.
Once inside, authorities made a grim discovery.
Doukoullos was found dead in the home, with investigators noting signs of trauma.
Officials believe he may have been dead for several days before police arrived. Simmons was taken into custody and later charged with murder.
Bail has been set in the millions as detectives continue working to piece together what led to the killing. Authorities have not said whether the suspect and the victim knew each other, and a motive has not been identified.
The timeline suggests the suspect remained inside the home in the days leading up to the discovery, though investigators have not released full details about what happened during that period.
Adding to the odd scene, the suspect was reported to be wearing a dark suit, hat and sunglasses resembling the look from ‘The Blues Brothers’ at the time of the standoff.
The case remains under active investigation as officials continue processing evidence from inside the home.
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