ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – The fake DTE Energy workers who are accused of killing a Rochester Hills homeowner are in court Tuesday.
Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, and Joshua Zuazo, 39, both of Dearborn, are accused of posing as DTE workers to get into a home. They killed a man and tied up his wife, according to authorities.
You can watch the proceedings live in the stream above.
The charges stem from the death of Hussein Murray, a 72-year-old man who was killed at his home in Rochester Hills on Oct. 11, 2024.
Authorities believe Hernandez and Zuazo went to the Rochester Hills home at 10 p.m. on Oct. 10, posing as DTE Energy workers and told the couple they were there to check a gas leak. The homeowners spoke with them through a doorbell camera, but did not allow them inside the home.
The suspects returned to the home 12 hours later, when they were allowed inside.
Murray signed a piece of paper that the suspects told him was from DTE and then led the two men into the basement. When the two men returned from the basement, Murray was not with them.
They reportedly tied the woman up with duct tape on her wrists and ankles and asked where the money and jewelry were. Authorities said they spent at least 20 minutes searching the home before leaving with the woman’s watch and phone.
The woman managed to 911 after freeing herself and when Oakland County sheriff’s deputies arrived, she told them she believed her husband may have been kidnapped. While searching the home, deputies found Murray’s body in the basement. He was reportedly bound with duct tape on his wrists, ankles and face.
Hernandez was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Hernandez was spotted traveling south on I-49 from Arkansas. Investigators pulled him over and took him into custody. He is also wanted in Ohio for an armed robbery warrant.
He was charged by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
After Hernandez was arrested, his wife reportedly told investigators the other suspect was Zuazo, who was then located by law enforcement in Plymouth Township on Monday, Oct. 14.
Zuazo was taken into custody and lodged at the Oakland County Jail.
He was charged by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. He is expected to be arraigned Friday, Oct. 18.
