Questions remain Tuesday regarding a possible motive behind the killing of a 92-year-old man whose body was found inside a home on The Strand in Hermosa Beach.
Officers responded at 12:37 p.m. Saturday to a home in the 500 block of The Strand to conduct a welfare check, according to the Hermosa Beach Police Department.
“The reporting party stated that a tenant who lives alone had not been heard from in several days,” according to a department statement.
A realtor requested the welfare check after not hearing from the homeowner, police said.
“Upon arrival, officers observed evidence suggesting a possible deceased person was inside the residence,” according to police. “The property manager allowed officers access to the location, where they encountered an individual inside who was not the tenant.”.
That person, identified as 39-year-old Robert Simmons, allegedly was uncooperative and made statements indicating possibly being armed before holing up inside the home.
SWAT personnel from the Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Hawthorne police departments responded to assist and crisis negotiators established contact with Simmons and negotiated for several hours in an effort to secure a safe surrender.
Approximately seven hours after the initial dispatch, the suspect emerged dressed in what appeared to be formal attire — a dark suit, white shirt, dark tie and dark sunglasses, with hair tied back in a bun under a fedora.
Officers served a search warrant and found a man’s body inside the home. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office identified him as Demetrius Doukoullos, 92, of Hermosa Beach.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department online inmate records, Simmons, who was booked on suspicion of murder Saturday evening, was listed as a male, under the name Elanor Beaulieu, and was being held at the Inmate Reception Center in downtown Los Angeles in lieu of $2 million.
A previous booking for Robert Simmons, on Feb. 23, 2026, following an alleged misdemeanor petty theft offense, listed the suspect’s gender as non-binary.
The standoff on Saturday forced the evacuation of dozens of residents and tourists before the nattily dressed suspect was safely taken into custody.
Lt Steve De Jong, detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is heading up the investigation, according to a Hermosa Beach Police Department spokesman.
Simmons was due to make an initial court appearance on Tuesday, according to sheriff’s records, but it’s unclear if that will occur as scheduled.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Callers who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.