As authorities continue to investigate a murder inside a beachfront home in Hermosa Beach, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC4 Investigates that responding officers found a decomposing body inside the house.
The body turned out to be that of 92-year-old Demetrius Doukoullos, who lived alone at the home on the Strand near the 5th Street, the LA County medical examiner confirmed.
The law enforcement sources said Doukoullos’ body was partially decomposed with signs of trauma when officers who were called to the scene entered the home. The officers had reported a strong odor coming from the bedroom, the sources said.
Hours before the discovery of Doukoullos’ decomposing body, officers with Hermosa Beach police had been called to the home at around 12:30 p.m. when the property manager of the building requested a welfare check on Doukoullos.
“She had been worried about him, ” said Patty Snyder, a Hermosa Beach resident who had spoken with the building manager. “She was doing a check on him, and the house smelled terrible so she called the police.”
When the responding officers opened the door into the home, a woman inside ran into the bedroom and barricaded herself inside for hours, authorities said. NBC4 Investigates learned the woman made statements about harming herself, prompting police to call the SWAT team and crisis negotiators.
Nearly seven hours later, the woman finally surrendered and was arrested for murder at around 8 p.m..
The woman, a transgender person who goes by the name Eleanor Beaulieu, was booked under her legal name Robert Simmons.
The relationship between the suspect and Doukoullos was not immediately clear.
“He was always out on his front porch. He always had his blinds open. And all of a sudden, they were closed all the time, and they didn’t see him,” Snyder said as she and other neighbors now compare timelines to determine the last time they saw Doukoullos.