PONTIAC (WWJ) A judge denied bond for the second of the two men accused of posing DTE workers to get inside a Rochester Hills home, killing the homeowner and tying up his wife.
The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office announced Carlos Hernandez, 37, was arraigned on charges of Felony Murder and two counts of Unlawful Imprisonment on Friday in a Rochester Hills courtroom—after his extradition from Louisiana. He will remain in Oakland County Jail until his trial date along with the second defendant. Joshua Zuazo, 39, was also arraigned on the same charges on October 18th and was denied bond. He pled not guilty.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said Hernandez and Zuazo tried to get into the Rochester Hills home that businessman--Hussein Murray, 72--shared with his wife on Thursday (10/10), under the guise of DTE employees investigating a gas leak. Turned away the first time; they returned to the upscale home on Newcastle, in the area of Adams and Dutton, shortly before noon the next day. This time, Murray accompanied the two men into the basement to look for a leak. The wife never saw him again.
The wife, also 72, called 911. When deputies arrived at the scene, they learned she had been tied up with her hands wrapped in duct tape; but was able to free herself to make the call, the sheriff's office said. She told them she believed her husband had been kidnapped.
While checking the house to ensure it was safe, deputies discovered Murray’s body in the basement. The wife was taken to the hospital, but she has since been released.
Deputies with the Caddo Parish’s Sheriff’s Office arrested Hernandez that Saturday (10/12) “without incident” during a traffic stop in Shreveport, Louisiana-- on I-49 after they spotted a car matching his vehicle description. He had multiple outstanding armed robbery warrants out of Ohio, in addition to the Oakland County murder warrant. Law enforcement apprehended Zuazo in Plymouth Township two days after Hernandez' arrest.
Investigators believe this was a targeted incident, but they are unsure of the motive. Murray owned a pawn and jewelry shop in Hamtramck.
“This was a shocking crime, both in the deception used to invade the victims’ home, and in the brutality of the murder itself,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in press release from her Office. “Posing as utility workers to invade the home of an elderly couple created fear in the entire community, and I applaud the Sheriff’s Office and our other law enforcement partners for quickly apprehending this defendant and bringing him back to Michigan.”
DTE officials said customers should always ask to see a badge and photo ID from anyone who arrives at their home claiming to be from the electrical company. If the person refuses to show ID, do not let them inside. If you are unsure of their credibility, call the DTE customer service line at 800-477-4747. If the person “becomes agitated or acts in a strange manner” or demands to be let inside your home, call 911 right away.
Zuazo is due back in court on October 29th, and Hernandez on November 4th, both for Probable Cause Hearings.
Felony Murder is punishable by life in prison without parole and requires DNA taken upon arrest; and Unlawful Imprisonment carries a sentence of up to 15 years and/or a fine of up to $20,000.