Developer Found Dead After Police Standoff With Suspect

A prominent Los Angeles developer was found dead in his Hermosa Beach home on Saturday with a suspect that has since been arrested and charged in the case.

Hermosa Beach police discovered the body of Demetrius Doukoullos, a 92-year-old developer known for building homes in seaside enclaves like Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, after neighbors noticed a foul smell and a strange individual coming in and out of the house, the Los Angeles Times and Easy Reader reported. Police found Doukoullos dead inside his home on The Strand in Hermosa Beach but believe he may have been dead for several days, according to police and court filings.

Officers found a second person inside wearing a dark suit, tie, sunglasses and fedora and arrested them after a seven-hour standoff. “The individual was uncooperative, made statements indicating possibly being armed and barricaded themselves inside the residence,” authorities said, per the Times.

The suspect was identified by two names, Robert Phillip Simmons and Elanor Beaulieu, and was named as Simmons in court filings. Simmons was charged with one count of homicide and is alleged to have killed Doukoullos sometime between March 7 and March 14.

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s homicide bureau are still working to determine how, and if, Simmons and Doukoullos might have known each other, according to the Times. The investigation is “still in the early stages,” Lt. Steve De Jong said.

Simmons has had other run-ins with the law, including one in recent weeks before being confronted by authorities in Doukoullos’ beachfront home. On Feb. 23, Simmons was detained by Redondo Beach police on a call of a petty theft from a store but was released later that day with a citation, according to Redondo Beach police Lt. Vincent Dileva. Simmons was also arrested on Feb. 5, 2025 by the Los Angeles Police Department and was released the following day after the charge was dismissed; the alleged crime in that case was not disclosed.

Simmons is being held in jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

— Chris Malone Méndez