They said they were utility workers. But when they left the house, the wife was tied up and the husband was dead

By: CNN

Posted: Oct 13, 2024 3:13 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 13, 2024 4:20 PM CDT

Oakland County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource

By Paradise Afshar and Zoe Sottile

(CNN) — A Michigan man has been charged with felony murder after he and another individual allegedly impersonated utility workers before killing a man and tying up his wife, according to local authorities.

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, was charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, according to a Sunday news release from the Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Hernandez was pulled over and arrested in Louisiana on Saturday afternoon, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Sunday news release. He had been taken into custody without incident in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Saturday, authorities said. He was booked on multiple armed robbery warrants out of Ohio as well as a homicide warrant out of Michigan, according to the release.

The man who was killed has been identified as Hussein Murray, a 72-year-old from Rochester Hills, Michigan, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Authorities allege that Hernandez and another unidentified man arrived at the home Murray shared with his wife twice, first on Thursday and then again on Friday. On both occasions, officials said they posed as workers for DTE, a Detroit-based energy provider, and claimed they were there to investigate a gas leak.

On Thursday, Murray and his wife didn’t let the two men into their home, according to the Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. When they returned on Friday, Murray “signed a piece of paper purportedly from DTE and escorted the defendant to the basement,” according to the release.

Then the two men returned upstairs, asking Murray’s wife “where the money and jewelry were,” the release said. They duct-taped her wrist and ankles, hit her across the face, and took her phone and watch before leaving in a truck with a DTE sign, according to the release.

Murray’s wife was able to call 911 and told officials she thought her husband may have been kidnapped, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Murray’s body was discovered in the basement, with his wrists and ankles also duct-taped, the prosecuting attorney’s office said.

“Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear if he had been shot or bludgeoned to death,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities are continuing to search for the second suspect, with the sheriff encouraging tips from the public.

“This was a gruesome attack on an elderly couple in their home,” said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in the release. “I have authorized the highest charge which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence for this brutal crime. My office will work diligently to ensure that this individual is held accountable and that the public is safe from violent predators.”

Murray’s death was ruled a homicide on Saturday by the Oakland County Medical Examiner, according to the sheriff’s office. His wife was hospitalized following the incident and has since been released, the sheriff added.

A doorbell camera video of one of the suspects wearing a respirator mask and identifying himself and another man as DTE Energy workers looking for gas leaks was released by the sheriff’s office on Friday.

An investigation is underway to determine if anything was taken from the home.

“One way or another we will find you,” the sheriff said in a post on Facebook.

Hernandez is currently being held at the Caddo Correctional Center, jail records show. A spokesperson for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office told CNN that if Hernandez waives his right to an extradition hearing, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office will transport him back to Michigan. Otherwise, an extradition hearing will be required to return him to Michigan.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of this horrific and tragic event, and we hope the perpetrators are quickly apprehended and brought to justice,” DTE Energy said in a statement. “Before DTE makes a routine visit to your home, we will make every effort to contact you in advance, either through a phone call from our call center or via email or text message.”