The man accused of killing longtime American Idol music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband, musician Thomas Deluca, has been transferred to Los Angeles County’s mental health court after a brief and unusual appearance before a judge on Wednesday.

Raymond Boodarian, 22, is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of the couple during an alleged burglary at their Encino home on July 10. At his arraignment in Van Nuys, Boodarian appeared in what his attorney described as a “suicide gown” and repeatedly failed to respond to the court. “He does have severe mental health issues. He’s appearing today in a suicide gown,” public defender Nancy Kolocotronis told the court at the outset of the hearing. When Judge Martin L. Herscovitz attempted to address the defendant directly, Boodarian did not acknowledge him, instead staring blankly into the courtroom gallery.

“One more time. Mr. Boodarian? Mr. Boodarian, can you hear me?” Herscovitz asked, before noting for the record that the defendant remained unresponsive. After a sidebar discussion with attorneys, the judge suspended the arraignment, citing concerns about Boodarian’s mental competency.

“The court entertains doubt as to defendant’s mental competency,” Herscovitz said, ordering Boodarian held without bail and scheduling a Sept. 3 hearing in mental health court. He ruled that any formal plea to the charges must wait until doctors determine whether the defendant is competent to stand trial.

Two of Boodarian’s family members, including his father, attended the hearing but declined to speak to reporters. Supporters of Kaye and Deluca sat in a separate section of the courtroom.

According to investigators, Kaye and Deluca, both 70, were returning from a shopping trip when they walked in on Boodarian during a burglary at their Encino residence. Police allege he used a firearm located inside the home to shoot both victims multiple times before fleeing the scene. Their bodies were not discovered until four days later, when authorities conducted a welfare check.

Court documents reviewed by Rolling Stone indicate that a neighbor called police the afternoon of July 10 to report a man climbing over the couple’s fence and possibly trying to break into the house. At 4:10 p.m., police dispatchers logged the call. Roughly 30 minutes later, another 911 call was placed by someone identifying himself as Raymond Boodarian, who claimed his office had been broken into. “Please don’t shoot me,” the caller said, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance video cited in the warrant showed a man in a black baseball cap, gray shirt, and black sandals climbing over the fence at 4:06 p.m. Kaye and Deluca returned home at 4:43 p.m. Ten minutes later, cameras recorded the same suspect leaving the property with a handgun tucked into the back of his waistband. Despite the initial neighbor’s report, police who responded that day did not detect evidence of a break-in and left the scene without entering the home.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman condemned the killings as “a senseless act of violence.” In a statement, he said, “In a matter of moments, this couple was senselessly killed in their own home as they returned from the grocery store. This tragic shooting has shaken a valley community and the notion that home should be our safe sanctuary.”

Kaye had been a fixture in the entertainment industry for years, serving as a music supervisor for American Idol since 2009. A representative for the show said she “was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.” Beyond Idol, she contributed to productions including the NAACP Image Awards and Lip Sync Battle.

Deluca was a songwriter and performer who, according to his profile on the website Melodic Rock Classics, composed music for artists including Kid Rock and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees.

Boodarian faces two counts of murder as well as burglary and weapons charges. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty. For now, his case hinges on whether doctors find him mentally fit to stand trial.