Wife of man murdered after visit from fake DTE workers testifies about being tied up, struck
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The men who posed as a fake DTE workers in order to gain access to a Rochester Hills home before murdering the owner are expected in court Tuesday.
Carlos Hernandez, 37, and Joshua Zuazo, 39, both of Dearborn, are charged with murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment after they allegedly killed Hussein Murray in his basement, then tied up his wife in the second floor of their home on Newcastle Drive in October.
Hernandez was later arrested in Louisiana a day after the murder took place. Zuazo was taken into custody following a traffic stop in Plymouth the week after the death.
Joshua Zuazo, left, and Carlos Jose Hernandez
Wife testifies about assault, being bound by suspects
Linda Murray is the wife of Hussein Murray and told the court on Tuesday the two had been married for 54 years.
She testified the first time she interacted with Hernandez and Zuazo was the night of Oct. 10, when two men knocked on the door talking about a gas leak.
They claimed to be employed by DTE and had already spoken to their neighbors. She told the court she asked her husband if he had his firearm on him.
She knew him to sometimes carry a handgun for personal protection. She also told the court that the individual she identified as Hernandez told her husband he would come back the next day.
Both she and her husband were home when the two men returned. At one point, she testified both men followed her husband into the basement - but did not hear anything after that.
When they emerged from downstairs, the individual she identified as Zuazo had blood on his person. Hernandez then began asking her questions about where she kept her cash and jewelry.
After asking Hernandez where her husband was, he struck her in the face before he duct taped her wrists and ankles together.
They left soon after, first looking through 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. There was also hemorrhaging in his skull.
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 estimated he died after 10 minutes of being strangled.
There was also evidence that Hussein Murray had been struck by the butt of a handgun and stomped on.
Cousin of man killed by fake DTE workers: 'They took his life and took part of our soul with him'
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.