Police are still searching for one of the two men who impersonated a public works employee and broke into a Michigan home Friday after a man was murdered and his wife was detained in her home. The investigation continues.
One of the suspects, Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, of Dearborn, was tracked down to Louisiana and charged with a felony and two counts of false imprisonment in the death of 72-year-old Hussein Murray. , the Oakland County Sheriff's Department announced. In a Facebook post. The other man remained at large Monday morning.
”There isn't much information about him. He was more in the background in the video,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. FOX2 Detroit reported.
Police released Ring doorbell video showing Hernandez and another man wearing a yellow fluorescent vest and mask outside Murray's home in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills. The two had fake work orders written on clipboards and had fake badges.
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Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, was charged with felony murder and two counts of false imprisonment after he and an accomplice allegedly posed as utility workers and broke into Michigan homes. (Oakland County Sheriff's Office)
“We are DTE, we are checking for gas leaks,” Hernandez, who claims to be working with a local energy company, can be heard saying.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, Murray signed a fake work order and led Hernandez and another man to the basement of his home.
“Shortly thereafter, the defendant and another man arrived and asked the female victim where the money and jewelry were,” prosecutors said. NBC News reported. “They put duct tape around her wrists and ankles. At some point she started screaming and the defendant punched her in the face.”
Murray's wife reached the phone and called 911, which called police to the home. She was briefly hospitalized after the ordeal.
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Carlos Hernandez was arrested Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana by the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office. (Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office)
Hernandez and another man allegedly fled the scene with the woman's cell phone and watch. Murray was found dead in the basement of his home with duct tape wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
The two fled the scene in a white pickup truck with DTE Energy decals. Before successfully breaking into the home at 10 a.m. Friday, the two attempted to gain entry to the home at the same time Thursday, but were denied.
Police believe Murray was targeted because he had advance knowledge of the valuables and money that were expected to be inside. Prosecutors say the couple owns a jewelry store and pawnshop in the Detroit area.
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“What led them to that tragic moment will be a continuing part of our investigation,” Bouchard told NBC.
Deputies with the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office in Shreveport, Louisiana, found Hernandez heading south on Interstate 49 from Arkansas on Saturday and took him into custody, the department said. According to NBC News, there is a warrant out for his arrest in Ohio in connection with an armed robbery charge. The U.S. Marshals Service is also involved in the incident.
“This was a horrific attack on an elderly couple in their home,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. “I have pleaded guilty to the maximum penalty for this heinous crime, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.”
The fatal incident occurred along Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills. (Google Maps)
DTE Energy issued a statement warning residents not to let imposters into their homes and saying they can call the company at 800-477-4747 to verify employee credentials.
“If someone comes to your home or business saying they are from DTE, ask to see a badge with photo ID. If the person refuses to show the badge, go indoors. Please do not enter,” the company said.
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The search for an accomplice in the Rochester Hills attack continued Monday.
“We'll find you anyway,” the sheriff wrote in a Facebook post.
