Developer, 92, Found Dead After Suspect Barricades in Hermosa Beach Standoff

When Hermosa Beach police entered the home of Demetrius Doukoullos on the 500 block of The Strand just after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, they found two things: the decomposing body of a 92-year-old developer who investigators believe had been dead for days, and a stranger inside the house who was not supposed to be there, dressed in a dark suit, tie, sunglasses and fedora, and not planning to leave quietly.

That stranger, identified in booking records as Robert Phillip Simmons and also listed as Elanor Beaulieu, barricaded themselves inside a bedroom and told officers they might be armed. What followed was a seven-hour standoff involving SWAT teams from multiple agencies, crisis negotiators, a K9 unit and a BearCat armored vehicle before Simmons surrendered peacefully. Prosecutors have since charged Simmons, 39, with one count of murder. According to the indictment, Simmons is believed to have killed Doukoullos sometime between March 7 and March 14. Los Angeles County jail records show Simmons is being held in lieu of $2,001,000 bail.

The Hermosa Beach Police Department stated that the individual "was uncooperative, made statements indicating possibly being armed, and barricaded themselves inside the residence." Officers had initially entered the property with a property manager after someone reported that Doukoullos, who lived alone at the beachfront home, had not been heard from in several days.

Doukoullos was a longtime developer known for building homes in coastal communities including Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as deferred, pending further investigation, and police and court filings indicate he may have been dead for several days before the welfare check was called in. Neighbors had already taken notice: a post in a neighborhood Facebook group described a strong odor coming from the home and said the resident had not been seen for about a week. Residents also reportedly observed a strange individual coming in and out of the property in the days prior.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau has taken over the investigation. Lt. Steve De Jong of the homicide bureau told the Los Angeles Times that investigators are still working to establish any connection between Doukoullos and the suspect. "We're still in the early stages of the investigation," De Jong said, adding that detectives are trying to determine how, and if, the victim and the suspect ever knew each other.

Simmons had prior contacts with law enforcement before the Hermosa Beach incident. On February 23, Simmons was detained by Redondo Beach police on a petty theft call from a store and released the same day with a citation, according to Redondo Beach police Lt. Vincent Dileva. Simmons was also arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on February 5, 2025, and released the following day after the charge was dismissed; the nature of that alleged offense was not disclosed.

With the cause of death still deferred and no confirmed connection between Simmons and Doukoullos established, investigators have a long road ahead before the full picture of what happened inside that Strand property comes into focus.