Rochester Hills Woman Says Fake DTE Workers Hit Her And Tied Her Up After Killing Husband

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — A Rochester Hills woman testified Tuesday morning that she was punched in the face and tied up by two men posing as DTE Energy workers after they killed her husband in their home's basement.

The incident happened in the morning hours on Oct. 11 at a Rochester Hills home in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive where officers found 72-year-old Hussein Murray dead in the home's basement.

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, and Joshua Zuazo, 39, both of Dearborn, were charged with murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment in connection to the incident. They were denied bond and have been in the Oakland County Jail since.

Wife Testifies About Attack

Linda Murray, the wife of Hussein Murray for 54 years, told a Rochester Hills courtroom Tuesday morning that two men knocked on her home's door during the nighttime hours on Oct. 10.

The two men, later identified as Hernandez and Zuazo, told the couple they were with DTE Energy and were in the area checking for a gas leak. Hernandez and Zuazo told the couple they already checked with neighbors.

Officials said Hernandez and Zuazo were wearing a utility vest and holding a clipboard that also had a DTE logo.

The couple did not let Hernandez and Zuazo into their home that night, but told them they could return the next day.

On Oct. 11, Hernandez and Zuazo returned to the home during the morning hours, and this time Linda and her husband let them inside.

Once inside the home, Linda said Hernandez and Zuazo followed her husband down into the basement, but then she didn't hear anything after they went downstairs.

When Hernandez and Zuazo came up from the basement, Hernandez immediately began asking her questions about where she kept her cash and jewelry.

Linda noticed her husband didn't come up the stairs and screamed when she saw blood on Zuazo's vest. That's when Linda said Hernandez hit her in the face and then tied her wrists and ankles together with duct tape.

Hernandez and Zuazo then searched the home for valuables before leaving, Linda said.

Officials Rule Death A Homicide

Shauna Bryan of the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office ruled Murray's a homicide. She told the court Tuesday that there was blunt force trauma to his head, as well as lacerations, bruises and a broken jaw.

Bryan said there's evidence that Murray may have been struck by the butt of a handgun and stomped on. She also believes Murray was strangled because there were fractures in the bones in his throat.

Bryan believes Murray died after 10 minutes of being strangled.