ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office has arrested the second man accused of posing as a DTE Energy worker to kill a man and tie up a woman in Rochester Hills.
The man, whose identity has not yet been released, was traveling Monday afternoon in Plymouth Township when he was pulled over by authorities. He was then arrested.
Background
Hussein Murray, 72, was killed at his home in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
Prosecutors said Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, and the other man went to the Rochester Hills home at 10 p.m. on Thursday, 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 the Ring camera, but did not allow them inside the home. The suspects returned to the home at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, and 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 tied the woman up with duct tape and asked where the money and jewelry were, according to prosecutors. They duct-taped her wrists and ankles. They spent at least 20 minutes searching the home, according to police. Prosecutors said they took the woman’s phone and watch and left.
The woman called 911 and when 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. Due to the extent of the injuries, deputies said the cause of death was not immediately clear.
First suspect arrested
Hernandez, of Dearborn, has been charged by Oakland County prosecutors with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. 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.
If convicted on the felony murder charge, Hernandez faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. Unlawful imprisonment is a felony punishable by up to 15 years and/or a fine up to $20,000.
