A Michigan man, Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, who killed an innocent homeowner in a botched robbery while posing as a utility worker, was arrested and charged with murder, authorities say.
On Oct. 11, officers responded to a Detroit suburb home house in Rochester Hills after receiving a 911 distress call from a female about a violent home invasion and robbery in progress. Upon arrival, they found Hussein Murray, 72, a jewelry and pawn shop owner, unresponsive in his basement with his wrists and ankles duct-taped.
According to investigators, Hernandez and an accomplice, Joshua Zuazo, 39, had approached the couple’s home around 10 pm the previous night, claiming to be from a utility company, “DTE,” due to a gas leak check. However, Murray turned them away.
The next day, at about 10 am, the duo returned to the home, and this time, the victim allowed them in and led them to his basement, where he was allegedly killed. Soon, both men came back upstairs, duct-taped his wife in the kitchen, and asked her where the jewelry and money were before striking her across the face when she screamed.
Later, unbeknownst to the defendants, the woman was able to escape and call for help while the defendants fled the scene.
"She was actually in the kitchen area. She was able to get free enough to be able to get that phone," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, reported NBC.
Authorities in Shreveport, Louisiana, spotted Hernandez on Saturday as he drove south from Arkansas on Interstate 49. In addition, a fugitive task force arrested Zuazo in Plymouth Township, Michigan.
Both Hernandez and Zuazo were charged with felony murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence, and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. Hernandez is also facing an unrelated warrant for an alleged armed robbery.
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