Man who posed as utility worker, killed homeowner, and tied up woman is captured in Louisiana

CADDO PARISH, La. (TCN) — A man accused of posing as a utility worker in order to enter a home in a wealthy Michigan neighborhood, killing the 72-year-old owner, and tying up the victim’s wife was captured in Louisiana several days later.

According to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office in Michigan, on Thursday, Oct. 10, at around 10 p.m., Carlos Jose Hernandez and another male reportedly went to a home in Rochester Hills dressed as energy company workers and said they were there to investigate a gas leak. The homeowners communicated with the two men via their Ring doorbell and did not let them inside. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office shared Ring footage of the two men standing at the door.

The two men returned the next morning and had the male victim sign a paper made to look like it was from DTE, the utility company. Once Hernandez and the other man went inside, they allegedly took the male victim to the basement. Soon after that, they came back upstairs, asked the 72-year-old woman where she kept her money and jewelry, then duct taped her wrists and feet. When the female victim started to scream, Hernandez allegedly hit her in the face.

Hernandez and the other male reportedly took the woman’s watch and phone, then fled in a white pickup truck. She managed to escape and call police. She discovered her husband, identified as Hussein Murray, in the basement with his wrists and feet bound. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear if he had been shot or bludgeoned to death.”

Murray’s wife was taken to the hospital and later released.

On the afternoon of Oct. 12, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office received information that Hernandez was traveling south from Arkansas. Deputies located his vehicle on the highway and conducted a traffic stop. He was arrested for outstanding warrants out of Ohio for armed robbery, as well as murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment in Michigan.

Investigators “continue to hunt” for the second suspect as they await Hernandez’s extradition to Michigan.

DTE released a statement on Oct. 11 urging people to be aware of impersonators and offered tips on what to do when a utility worker wants to enter your home.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said, “This was a gruesome attack on an elderly couple in their home. I have authorized the highest charge, which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence for this brutal crime. My office will work diligently to ensure that this individual is held accountable and that the public is safe from violent predators.”

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