Fake DTE workers heading to trial after wife of murdered husband, others testify

Joshua Zuazo, 39, and Carlos Hernandez, 37, both of Dearborn, were the targets of several witnesses and evidence during the preliminary hearing.

• • 
    Carlos Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo are both charged in the murder of a Rochester Hills man inside his home
    
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    Both posed as employees of DTE when they asked to enter a home amid concerns of a gas leak
    
  • 
    The sheriff said they killed Hussein Murray in October before fleeing
    

• 
  Carlos Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo are both charged in the murder of a Rochester Hills man inside his home
  
• 
  Both posed as employees of DTE when they asked to enter a home amid concerns of a gas leak
  
• 
  The sheriff said they killed Hussein Murray in October before fleeing
  

FOX 2, Pontiac, Mich.The guys who entered a Rochester Hills home by pretending to be DTE employees and then reportedly killed the owner were bound over for trial.

Joshua Zuazo, 39, and Carlos Hernandez, 37, both of Dearborn, were the targets of several witnesses and evidence during the preliminary hearing.

After they reportedly tied up Hussein Murray’s wife in their Newcastle Drive house in October and killed him in his basement, they were charged with both and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.

A day after the murder, Hernandez was later taken into custody in Louisiana. The week after the death, Zuazo was arrested after being pulled over in Plymouth.

Hussein’s wife, Linda Murray, was one of the witnesses who detailed the events leading up to and following Hernandez and Zuazo’s last appearance with her husband.

Relatives, forensic experts, and police officers also provided testimony.

Carlos Jose Hernandez on the left, and Joshua Zuazo

Wife testifies about assault, being bound by suspects

Hussein Murray’s wife, Linda Murray, informed the court on Tuesday that they had been wed for 54 years.

According to her testimony, she first spoke with Hernandez and Zuazo on the evening of October 10 when two guys knocked on the door and discussed a gas leak.

They had already spoken to their neighbors and claimed to be DTE employees. She said in court that she asked her husband if he was carrying his gun.

She was aware that he occasionally carried a firearm for self-defense. Additionally, she informed the court that the person she identified as Hernandez promised to return the next day.

When the two men came back, she was at home with her husband. She stated that both men followed her husband into the basement at one time, but she didn’t hear anything else.

When they emerged from downstairs, the individual she identified as Zuazo had blood on his person. Hernandez then started questioning her about the locations of her valuables and money.

Hernandez asked him where her husband was, and he hit her in the face before duct-taping her ankles and wrists together.

Shortly after, they departed, first searching the couple’s garage.

Medical examiner rules death a homicide

Shauna Bryan of the Oakland County Medical Examiner told the court that many Hussein Murray’s injuries were concentrated at his head.

She noted he had injuries associated with blunt force trauma, including lacerations, bruises, and a broken jaw. Additionally, there was bleeding in his cranium.

There were also fractures in the bones in his throat, which Bryan testified were the kind of injuries caused by “force and pressure” leading to neck compression and eventually asphyxiation.

She calculated that after ten minutes of strangulation, he passed away.

There was also evidence that Hussein Murray had been struck by the butt of a handgun and stomped on.

Associated

First, they tied up the wife and beat her. Then they forced 72-year-old Hussein Murray down the stairs into the basement, and he never came up – beaten to death.

Defendant’s mother-in-law

The fifth witness to testify was Danielle Diaz, the mother-in-law of Hernandez who is married to her daughter.

She told the court she recognized Hernandez from the Ring camera, and later identified Zuazo as the second individual from the security footage.

‘It was not supposed to go down like that’

Detective Wendell Smith was among two members of the sheriff’s office that traveled to Louisiana to pick up evidence after Hernandez was arrested.

While there, Smith had the opportunity to interview Hernandez, who gave several details to law enforcement. One question he asked Hernandez why only one victim was killed.

Smith paraphrased Hernandez’s response as “What do you mean why did we only kill one? It was not supposed to go down like that.”

Hernandez also said Zuazo was the one to tie up Linda Murray and added he did not recall anyone striking her.

Among the evidence found in his vehicle was various clothing, hat, shoes, masks, jewelry, a hammer, and DTE gear.

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