Late Developer Set Multiple Sale Records

Reports of the murder of Demetrius Doukoullos remain shrouded in mystery with little light shed so far on the motive of the alleged killer.

The 92-year-old was an esteemed luxury residential developer, predominantly focused on the Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach communities.

Following calls from concerned neighbors, authorities from the Hermosa Beach Police Department found Doukoullos on Saturday and subsequently charged a suspect with felony murder. An indictment alleges that Robert Phillip Simmons, who also goes by Elanor Beaulieu, killed Doukoullos between March 7 and March 14. Police reportedly took the nonbinary suspect, who was dressed in a “Blues Brothers” style suit and fedora, into custody after a seven-hour standoff.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s office had yet to specify the manner of death and deferred the cause of death, as of Friday. At the time of his death, the millionaire was retired and living alone, renting a two-bedroom in Hermosa Beach for $6,900 per month from the son of his late business associate Raju Chhabria. His wife Fredda died in 2012.

Neil Chhabria told the Daily Mail he didn’t have an extensive personal relationship with Doukoullos, but noted he had no idea why anyone would want to harm him.

“Demetrius was very active despite his age and was still driving,” he told the Daily Mail. “He probably built more homes on the Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach Strand than anyone else.”

The Strand is a 2-mile stretch, adorned with high-end mansions typically priced between $5 million and $15 million, though listings as high as $30 million aren’t unheard of.

Notable properties in Doukoullos’ portfolio include a 6,123-square-foot mansion at 104 The Strand in Manhattan Beach. As of Friday, Zillow valued the five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home, which is equipped with a wine room, bar, game room and home theater, at $23.4 million.

In 2017, the home traded for $18.4 million which, at the time, set a record sale price for the city, The Real Deal previously reported. The buyer was an entity linked to John Baumer, a partner at private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners. This sale was quite profitable for Doukoullos who had purchased the site for close to $10 million in 2014 before redeveloping it.

Additionally, Doukoullos was behind 2666 The Strand in Hermosa Beach which spans 7,000 square feet across five bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms. The contemporary beachfront property sold for $19.5 million in 2023 – also creating a record at the time – and features a home theater, disco room, wine cellar, private elevator and a roof top deck with a Jacuzzi tub.

For yet another property on The Strand, Doukoullos also built 600 The Strand in Hermosa Beach, a 7,850 square-foot-home with an 82-foot beach frontage. The property was most recently listed for $17 million in 2022, before being re-listed for rent instead at $33,000 per month in February 2025. About a month later, the listing was removed, according to Redfin.

Prior to moving into the rental where he died, Doukoullos lived in one of his own projects, a 2,244-square-foot home with four bedrooms and five bathrooms. He sold this property for $7.5 million in 2023, the Daily Mail reported.

Doukoullos’s legacy and development vision will live on through his array of high-profile beachfront mansions.