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Men Who Posed as DTE Workers Get Life Without Parole in Rochester Hills Murder

The sentences cap a case built on testimony about a fake gas-leak check used to enter the home.

Overview

  • Judge Yasmine Poles sentenced Carlos Jose Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo to life in prison without parole for the killing of 72-year-old Hussein Murray.
  • Murray’s sons delivered emotional statements and read a poem written by their mother, while both defendants declined to speak as they plan to appeal.
  • Prosecutors said the pair lured Murray to his basement after gaining entry by posing as DTE workers, assaulted and bound his wife, and stole jewelry and cash.
  • Separate juries in the same courtroom found both men guilty in October of first-degree murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment after brief deliberations.
  • Hernandez was arrested in Louisiana on Oct. 12, 2024, and Zuazo was taken into custody in Plymouth Township two days later.