A man impersonating a utility worker has been charged with murder following a deadly home invasion in Michigan, as police are on the lookout for a second suspect involved in the incident.
Carlos Jose Hernandez, aged 37, was apprehended in Louisiana and now faces charges of felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, as announced by the Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Sunday. Authorities are currently conducting a manhunt for the unidentified second suspect.
The victim, 72-year-old Hussein Murray, was tragically discovered deceased at his residence in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It was disclosed by the sheriff’s office in a Facebook post that Murray and his wife were proprietors of a Detroit jewelry and pawn shop, leading investigators to speculate that the suspects may have been targeting the house due to potential knowledge of valuables or money stored inside.
Describing the heinous crime as a “gruesome attack on an elderly couple in their home,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald stated, “I have authorized the highest charge which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence for this brutal crime.”
Video footage captured by a doorbell camera portrays the two men at the victim’s residence on two separate occasions. On their first visit around 10 p.m. on Thursday, dressed in yellow fluorescent vests and masks, they falsely claimed to be from DTE, a Detroit-based energy provider, in an attempt to gain entry. Despite their efforts, the couple refused to allow them inside.
The assailants returned the following day around 10 a.m., where Murray signed a document supposedly from DTE and was escorted to the basement. In the meantime, they inquired about money and jewellery, before restraining his wife with duct tape, assaulting her, and confiscating her personal belongings. Subsequently, they fled in a truck bearing a DTE sign.
Upon alerting the authorities, Murray’s wife mentioned her suspicions that her husband was possibly abducted. Law enforcement arrived at the scene to find Murray’s lifeless body in the basement, bound with duct tape on his wrists and ankles. Due to the severity of his injuries, it remained unclear whether he was shot or bludgeoned to death.
Carlos Jose Hernandez was taken into custody in Shreveport, Louisiana, by the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office on Saturday. Additionally, he was wanted in Ohio for an alleged armed robbery.
The energy company DTE Energy issued a cautionary statement advising individuals not to allow unauthorized persons into their premises without verifying their identity. They instructed residents to request a badge with photo identification from anyone claiming to be from DTE.
In a poignant statement to NBC News, Murray’s family expressed their anguish, stating, “We are heartbroken by the news of his death but our family will bond through this with the resolve he has instilled in us by being the man he was.”