First Watch: Shocking Baby Trafficking Case & Hollywood Couple Slain

Summary

Crime House Daily: First Watch

Episode: Shocking Baby Trafficking Case & Hollywood Couple Slain
Host: Katie Ring
Date: September 22, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this First Watch episode, host Katie Ring covers two harrowing, headline-making criminal cases:

1. The attempted sex trafficking of infants in Indiana by their own mother — an unimaginable betrayal that has shocked the local community and raised difficult questions about trust and desperation.
2. The double homicide of beloved Hollywood couple Robin Kay and Thomas DeLuca in Encino, CA — a case marked by chilling oversight, an audacious break-in, and a suspect hiding in plain sight.

Throughout the episode, Katie brings her signature blend of empathy, straightforward reporting, and curiosity, providing both updates and context on these still-active cases.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Chilling Netflix Documentary Shoutout

• Brief mention: Katie discusses the documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish detailing how Kendra Leri used anonymous texts to stalk and cyberbully her own daughter for two years.
  • "Kendra told her daughter Lauren terrible things like saying she was anorexic and that she needed to kill herself." (03:31)
• Takeaway: Katie flags the emotional toll and disturbing reality of parental betrayal in digital spaces—potentially foreshadowing today's primary case.

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2. Indiana Baby Trafficking Case (Morgan D. Stapp)

Background

• Suspect: Morgan D. Stapp, age 32, mother of seven.
• Incident Start: November 1, 2024 – Police get a tip from Snapchat about an account soliciting sexual images of children.

Timeline & Evidence

• Initial discovery: Snapchat flags Morgan's account after messages emerge offering lewd photos of her daughters (ages 2 years & 7 months).
• Specifics: On Nov 1, 2024, Morgan allegedly sends a man three photos of her 7-month-old, offering him to molest her for $400.
  • Katie, emotionally stunned:
    "A seven month old child who can't even hold her own head up, who can't defend herself, an innocent baby." (05:31)
• Investigation: Morgan claims her account was hacked, but digital forensics confirm only her phone accessed the account.
  • Her story falls apart further when posts and messages continue from her account after she claimed to be locked out.
• Scope of Crime:
  • Investigators uncovered 7,000 incriminating messages within a 3-day span;
  • 81 attempts to exchange nudes for money, allegedly for basic needs like diapers.

Arrest & Legal Status

• Arrest: July 8, 2025; Morgan is charged with attempting to commit child sex trafficking (a Level 2 felony, 10-30 years if convicted).
• Bond status: Released after posting $100k bond; no contact order with her two youngest daughters.
• Unanswered Questions: The identity and potential culpability of the man who received messages remains unclear.
• Notable Response:
  • "For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around why a mother would ever do something so unimaginable. Was it all about money? A sense of desperation? We're just left with so many questions." (10:49)
• Insight: Katie emphasizes that child sex trafficking is often committed by family or caregivers (40-50% of cases), not strangers.

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3. The Encino Hollywood Double Homicide

Victims & Backdrop

• Victims: Robin Kay (music supervisor, American Idol), Thomas DeLuca (rock musician).
• Setting: Their Encino, CA mansion, lauded for security and peace.

Crime Unfolds

• Timeline:

  • July 10, 2025: Neighbor sees someone hopping the fence – calls 911.
  • Police response: House not entered due to high walls; only a helicopter flyover. No threat observed, police leave.
  • Robin and Thomas return home minutes later, unaware the perpetrator is inside.

• Murders: Believed to have occurred on July 10 after the couple’s return from the store.

• Bodies Discovered: July 14, after family grew concerned.

Shocking Twist

• Second 911 Call:
  • "Investigators have shared that a second phone call actually took place on July 10..." (16:39)
  • The killer himself, Raymond Budarian, called police from inside the home pretending to be the homeowner, using his own name.
  • He then told dispatch he no longer needed help and hung up. LAPD didn’t follow up further until days later.

Arrest & Background of Suspect

• Suspect: Raymond Budarian, age 22.
  • Prior arrests for attacks and domestic violence, all dismissed (mental health).
  • Troubling behavior: Waving knives, threatening neighbors, previous break-in attempts in the neighborhood, possibly at the victims’ home.
• Investigation: On July 15, police arrest Raymond at a house nearby and recover the couple's own gun—used as the murder weapon.
• Charges: Two counts first-degree murder, one count residential burglary with a person present. Raymond is held without bail.
• Mental Health Crisis: At his scheduled arraignment, Raymond appears in a "suicide gown" and is unresponsive. Hearing is postponed for a mental health evaluation.

Community and Police Oversight

• Ongoing Questions:

  • Why was police presence insufficient after the initial break-in report?
  • Why did the killer call 911 himself and then back out?
  • Was the earlier May break-in at the same house linked to Raymond?

• Notable Quote:

  • "There's still so much to learn in this case and hopefully as things progress, more information will come out." (16:38)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Indiana case:

  • "A betrayal of trust that's so profound it's almost impossible to comprehend..." (04:25)
  • "81 of those messages were attempts to exchange nudes for money so Morgan could buy baby diapers. Which makes it clear she was very desperate." (08:38)

• On the Encino double homicide:

  • "A 22 year old is now charged with murder and the weapon, the couple's own gun." (00:26)
  • "The big question is why would a criminal call the police to report his own crime?" (16:42)

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Important Timestamps

• [03:27] – Netflix documentary shoutout (Unknown Number: The High School Catfish)
• [04:17] – [11:21] – The Indiana baby trafficking case: Investigation, evidence, arrest, and legal overview
• [12:20] – [16:38] – Hollywood couple double homicide: Crime discovery, investigation developments, suspect revelation and background, community implications

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Tone & Style

Katie Ring’s approach is equal parts measured, empathetic, and firmly rooted in facts. She doesn’t sensationalize, yet voices genuine horror and disbelief at both cases’ betrayals of safety and trust—whether by a mother or a community.

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Closing

Katie wraps up by acknowledging the complex, still-developing nature of both cases and promises continued, in-depth coverage. She calls on listeners to share their thoughts and theories, emphasizing the importance of community vigilance and dialogue.

Next episode tease: An in-depth look at a teen in Georgia accused of murdering her parents, and the clues that might be hidden in her TikTok videos.

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For further updates and extra content, listeners are urged to follow Crime House Daily on social media and consider joining for ad-free listening.

Transcript

[Katie Ring]

This is Crime House.

[News Reporter]

Police are investigating a double murder in Encino after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered in their home. We've learned one of the victims worked on American Idol.

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Eyewitness News has learned that police have arrested a 22 year old man in connection to a brutal double murder in Encino.

[Katie Ring]

A beloved Hollywood couple, a locked mansion, two bodies found days apart in separate rooms. No forced entry and nothing stolen except their lives. A 22 year old is now charged with murder and the weapon, the couple's own gun. Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, sentence self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we will be taking an investigative approach to true crime. We stay on the cases and trials making headlines now where justice is still in motion, arrests are still being made, and where new evidence is still coming to light. Every morning we will make sure you're up to speed on today's biggest crimes with our first watch episodes. And every night we go deeper with our night Watch episodes. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, you're in the right place. Make sure to follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a review hit five stars. And for ad free listening, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. For video content, head to our YouTube channel, Rimehouse Daily. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform and not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Today we're covering two major cases in the news. The first case is about a mom in Indiana who is going to court for allegedly using Snapchat to sex traffic her own kids. The second case is the latest on the murders of American Idol music supervisor Robin Kay and her musician husband, Thomas DeLuca. What investigators have recently uncovered about their killer, and who hid out in their home while they were away.

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[Katie Ring]

All right, before we get into our two major stories of the day, I want to quickly talk about the insane Netflix documentary I've been watching. It's called Unknown Number the High School Catfish, which is about a mom named Kendra Leri who cyber bullied her daughter for two years using an unknown number. Kendra told her daughter Lauren terrible things like saying she was anorexic and that she needed to kill herself. She also sent messages to Lauren's then boyfriend, Owen McKinney. Lauren and Owen were 13 when they started getting harassed by Kendra. Kendra was arrested in December 2022 and she pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor. She got out on parole last August and she'll be supervised until February 2026. Kendra did an interview with Netflix about why she harassed her daughter over text and I'm really curious if she decided to do any other interviews. We'll keep you posted as more comes out and we might do an entire night watch episode on this case because it's really sad and disturbing. We're starting out with a shocking case from Indiana where a woman's alleged betrayal has left her family and her community completely shattered. She's been arrested for some pretty awful crimes and is due in court for her next hearing. At the center of it all is 32 year old Morgan D. Stapp, a mother of seven. As a mom, Morgan should be her children's ultimate protector, but investigators say she's anything but. It all started on November 1, 2024. That day, police are tipped off to an alarming account on Snapchat, one that's allegedly being used to solicit pornographic photos of children. Snapchat flags the suspicious account and contacts the authorities. They trace the activity back to Morgan and what they find is beyond disgusting. The details we have now are scarce, but the thing we do know is that Morgan is accused of using Snapchat and to sell her own children for sex trafficking. It's a betrayal of trust that's so profound it's almost impossible to comprehend. According to court documents, Morgan allegedly started by offering lewd pictures of her daughters, a two year old and a seven month old, on multiple occasions. And on November 1, 2024, the date that Snapchat flags the account was, Morgan allegedly sends a man three photos of her seven month old daughter telling him he could molest her for $400. I'm just going to say that one more time because it is so hard to grasp. A seven month old child who can't even hold her own head up, who can't defend herself, an innocent baby. The social media message reads something like half now, rest later. I'll send my address. I live alone and her dad isn't in the picture. As a side note, sadly, many parents fear their child will be kidnapped into sex trafficking. But the devastating reality is that less than 10% of trafficking cases are kidnappings, and 40 to 50% are family members or caregivers. Thankfully, things didn't progress from there. And 10 days later, on November 11, 2024 FBI agents show up on Morgan's doorstep on the south side of Indianapolis, Indiana, looking for answers. According to Morgan, it's all a big misunderstanding. She tells the FBI that she no longer has access to the Snapchat account in question, titled Morgan Dash Stapped, because it has recently been hacked. And she says she doesn't know anything about the messages sent from the account trying to sex traffic her daughters. But nobody from the FBI or Indianapolis police believe Morgan's story. So they get a warrant to search Morgan's Snapchat. And what they find paints her in a very bad light. Morgan's claim that she was hacked by falls apart because her account only has been accessed on one phone. Morgan's, meaning that whatever was sent in those messages came from her or someone in possession of her actual phone. But the authorities don't think that second option is likely. So In December of 2024, about a month after those messages were sent, both the FBI and the Indianapolis police start to officially build a case against Morgan. And the evidence against her piles up pretty quickly. Soon, another part of Morgan's story falls apart. Specifically her claim that she was locked out of her account because investigators discover that she'd posted multiple images of herself after she said that happened. And it turns out she was engaging in sex work herself. Detective harmon scours through 7,000 incriminating messages on Morgan's Snapchat between October 29 and November 1, 2024. 80. One of those messages were attempts to exchange nudes for money so Morgan could buy baby diapers. Which makes it clear she was very desperate. But she was desperate enough to traffic her own children. The authorities definitely think so, and they get a search warrant for Morgan's phone beyond just her Snapchat. And what they find confirms their suspicions. If the data on the phone isn't convincing enough, they Also confirm that those messages were sent from an area inside or around Morgan's home address in Indianapolis. It takes them a few months, but on July 8, 2025, Morgan Stapp is finally arrested for the attempt to commit child sex trafficking. In the state of Indiana, child sex trafficking is considered a level two felony. If found guilty, Morgan faces anywhere between 10 to 30 years in prison. And let's not forget, someone received those messages she sent. As of now, it's unclear who he was or if he'll be facing any charges. As for Morgan, she was released from jail after posting a hundred thousand dollar bond, according to court records. And there's a no contact order between Morgan and her two young daughters, which means she's not allowed to have any contact with them at all. For the life of me, I cannot wrap my head around why a mother would ever do something so unimaginable. Was it all about money? A sense of desperation? We're just left with so many questions. But for now, Morgan's attorney isn't answering any of them and likely won't until this case is resolved. But this case is still in its early stages. There will be more court hearings, more evidence, and hopefully some real clarity as to what led Morgan Stapp down this dark path. And next, we're covering another case that's still developing. It involves two respected figures in the entertainment industry. And the ongoing investigation is into their murders.

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[Katie Ring]

This next case is another ongoing investigation. It takes us into the lives of a 70 year old couple, people respected in the entertainment world. And described as two of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Robin Kay spent over a decade as a music supervisor for American Idol, and her husband, Thomas Deluca, was a rock musician and talented songwriter. Together, the pair built a peaceful, safe life in Encino, California, a quiet suburb just 19 miles outside of downtown Los Angeles. It seemed like they had a charmed existence. They were well off and owned a beautiful 4.4 million home. The kind of place you should be happy, safe and secure. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Around 2:30pm on July 14, 2025, LAPD officers arrive at the couple's home. Their families hadn't heard from Robin or Thomas in days. And when police found blood stains at the front door, they knew something was wrong inside the home. The scene is brutal. Robin is found in the pantry. Thomas is in the bathroom. Both had been shot in the head, and both of them are dead. But before I get more into the investigation, let's rewind four days to when Robin and Thomas were killed. It's around 4pm on Thursday, July 10. Their neighbor spots someone hopping the fence, so they call 91 1. But when the police come, they don't go in. The house is hard to access because it has a high wall around it that's topped with spikes. So instead, they circle the property with a helicopter and they don't see anything wrong. They think it's all clear, so they leave. At the time Robin and Thomas are out, they have no idea that any of this is going on. And by the time they come back 30 minutes later, that the police are gone and the threat is still inside. Investigators believe the suspect was in the house when the couple got home from the store. Which makes sense given the fact that the police didn't thoroughly check the place. Which means that Robin and Thomas were dead inside their house four days before. The cops are called again on July 14. And when they come back, it's not to investigate a robbery. It's a murder case. Because apparently after the cops cleared the scene from that attempted break in on July 10, they got another call just 40 minutes later. And the person on the other end of the line was someone they never expected. So good. So good. So good.

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[Katie Ring]

This next part is hard to grasp. Investigators have shared that a second phone call actually took place place on July 10, the same day of the attempted break in to Robin k. And Thomas DeLuca's home. And who was on the other end of the line? The suspect calling from inside the victim's house on his own phone. The suspect was pretending to be the homeowner on the phone reporting a break in. We don't know much yet, but we do know that he gave his real name to dispatch Raymond Budarian. As soon as we get our hands on that call, we'll share it with you on social media. The big question is why would a criminal call the police to report his own crime? It's a tough one to answer. Maybe he wanted to be caught or something. But if he did, the caller quickly changed his mind because he apparently said that he didn't need the police after all. And when LAPD tried to call the number back, they weren't able to reach him, and it's not clear if they did anything to follow up. They didn't come back to the property until four days later when Robin and Thomas's family called to say that they hadn't heard from them in days. And once the authorities kicked off their murder investigation, they realized that the killer had probably made that second phone call back on the 10th. On July 15, the day after Robin and Thomas's bodies were discovered, investigators tracked the caller's cell phone to a home 10 minutes away from the crime scene and arrest him after going through his house they find something huge, the murder weapon. And it isn't just any handgun. It belongs to Robin and Thomas. So who is the man that allegedly shot the two in cold blood with their own gun? He's 22 year old Raymond Buderian. Two days later, he's officially charged with two counts of first degree murder and one count of residential burglary with a person present. And he'd been arrested three times already for misdemeanor battery and threatening his mother and sister, for threatening his stepdad with a blade and for battery again. But In December of 2024, a judge dismissed all of those cases, seemingly due to mental health concerns. However, he was still a threat. After his release, Raymond's neighbors believed they saw him under the influence of drugs on multiple occasions. Apparently he also tried to stab his own mother and wandered around his neighborhood waving knives at doorbell cameras. And possibly he tried to break into Robin and Thomas's house two months before allegedly killing them. In May 2025, Robin called a security consultant at Secure IT Homes and told him about a different break in at her home that occurred on the 19th of that month. That day she'd been at home when the intruder shattered the backsliding door. Coming face to face in the kitchen with Robin. She screamed and the man fled in a panic. But it seems like he decided to come back two months later and this time around he stayed. Now, we don't know for sure whether Raymond Budarian was the man who broke into Robin's house on May 19, but we do know that Raymond is finally behind bars and being held right now without bail. And you know what else we're getting ready to report on his arraignment hearing that was supposed to be held on August 20. But Raymond showed up to the hearing wearing a suicide gown which high risk inmates are made to wear to prevent them from self harm. Raymond was unresponsive to the judge, so she postponed the hearing and in the meantime ordered a mental health evaluation. At the time of this recording, no results of that evaluation have been released yet. But we still have so many questions. Why this couple? Why that day? Why didn't the police do a better job of securing the premises? There's still so much to learn in this case and hopefully as things progress, more information will come out. As always, we'll be following it here and we'll keep you posted on Rimehouse 24 7. Tonight, tune in for an in depth investigation of a teen in Georgia who's accused of shooting and killing her parents. And what her TikTok videos could reveal about this crime. What do you think of today's case? Drop your theories in the comments and follow us rimehouse24.7 on TikTok and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube @CrimeDaily for ad free listening. Join Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You stay curious and I'll stay on the case. I'll see you tonight.