Suspects accused of posing as DTE workers, killing Rochester Hills man found guilty of murder
Two suspects who were accused of posing as DTE workers and killing a Rochester Hills man last year were found guilty of murder on Friday.
The jury began deliberating earlier in the day in the trial against Carlos Juan Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo. Each defendant was assigned a jury in their respective cases in the death of 72-year-old Hussein Murray.
The guilty verdict for Zuazo came minutes before the verdict was read for Hernandez. Both men were charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
The verdict comes nearly one year after authorities say Hernandez and Zuazo went to Murray's home on Oct. 11, 2024, and claimed to be DTE workers needing to check a gas leak. Murray escorted the men to the basement. Authorities say the men came back upstairs without Murray and tied up his wife, Linda Murray.
Investigators found Hussein Murray's body in the basement.
Linda Murray, who was able to escape, testified on Wednesday that she was beaten, and the men asked about jewelry and money.
"There's no verdict of guilty that can bring my dad back, but we will honor his life, his generous spirit, his strength of heart, and honor this woman (Linda Murray)," said Hussein Murray's son, Abdu Murray. "It (the verdict) will help with healing. There's a hole we will never fill."
On Friday, investigators and medical examiners took the stand to give testimony about what they saw when working the scene and what they learned later from the evidence.
The Oakland County Deputy Medical Examiner testified that there were many bruises, lacerations, and wounds found on Hussein Murray's body, which were caused by blunt force trauma. She ruled the cause of death to be neck compression and the mechanism of death to be asphyxiation. She also ruled the manner of death to be homicide, ruling out the possibility of a heart attack.
The examiner testified that the victim suffered from a lack of oxygen due to blood filling his lungs.
An Oakland County investigator presented text messages between Hernandez and Zuazo that show how they planned this alleged attack. The investigator testified that some of the messages discussed getting a lockpicking set, a car, and exchanging DTE logos within a month leading up to the murder.
Those texts also included plans and logistics for the days and hours leading up to the attack.
The investigator also presented text messages between Hernandez and his wife five days before the murder. In them, the investigator said Hernandez's wife texted that she was worried about being able to afford a house and being late on their rent. The investigator testified that Hernandez told his wife he had a plan and that they were going to be OK.
"That plan was, as you saw in the text messages, the defendant wants to buy a house with what they expect to get from this larceny. They want to buy a house. They don't want to work hard and save up for it and do all the things you have to do to be able to buy a house. They want to go in there and steal for a house. They want to go in there, and if it takes ending Mr. Murray's life to get that money for a house, so be it," said prosecuting attorney John Pietrofesa.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9.