A transgender woman dressed up like a Blues Brother allegedly murdered a millionaire developer in his Los Angeles home before having an hours-long standoff with a SWAT team, authorities said.
Eleanor Beaulieu, 39, was charged Sunday in the killing of Demetrius Doukoullos and is being housed in Los Angeles County’s Men’s Central Jail, according to inmate records.
Cops responded to check on Doukoullos, 92, at his Hermosa Beach home around 12:30 p.m. Saturday after his realtor hadn’t heard from him for about a week, police said.
“It began as a routine welfare check and escalated to a suspected homicide,” Hermosa Beach Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Keagan Dadigan said on Monday.
Neighbors reported a foul odor coming from the home and sightings of a suspicious person, according to Easy Reader News.
“She had been worried about him, ” Patty Snyder, a Hermosa Beach resident, told NBC4 of the realtor.
“She was doing a check on him, and the house smelled terrible so she called the police.”
When police arrived, Beaulieu told them he was armed, Dadigan said, leading to a tense seven-hour standoff.
“That subject made statements about being armed and dangerous and then barricaded themselves inside the residence,” authorities said, KTLA5 reported.
“Due to the circumstances, SWAT resources, made up of the Hermosa Beach PD and nearby allied agencies, responded to the location.”
Eventually, an officer warned Beaulieu through a bullhorn that they would force their way in.
“Eleanor, come out with your hands up. This has been going on long enough,” the officer yelled repeatedly, the Daily Mail reported.
Law enforcement sources told NBC4 that Doukoullos’ body was partially decomposed with signs of trauma.
Photos show Beaulieu surrendering to police after hours of negotiations, wearing a peculiar outfit that included a fedora, suit, sunglasses, and black tie.
Police cautiously approached him, cuffed him and walked him south to one of the dozens of police vehicles.
SWAT units from Hawthorne, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Hermosa Beach assisted, Dadigan said.
Doukoullos leased the downstairs of the Hermosa triplex about a year ago, after selling his longtime Hermosa Strand home, realtor Neil Chhabria, who manages the property, told Easy Reader News. The victim had lived alone after his wife died in 2012.
Beaulieu has been charged with homicide. His bail has been set to $2 million.
The relationship between the two is unclear, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau will take over the investigation.
The cause of death was also unclear.
