A second suspect connected to the fatal home invasion that claimed the life of 72-year-old Rochester Hills businessman Hussein Murray on Oct. 11 has been formally charged, authorities announced.
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Charges Against Joshua Zuazo
Joshua Zuazo, 39, of Dearborn, faces multiple charges, including felony murder, Oakland County police confirmed.
“Zuazo is charged in a three-count warrant issued today by prosecutors with felony murder—a life offense if convicted—and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, which are 15-year felonies,” the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The warrant was signed late Thursday afternoon by 52-3 District Judge Laura Polizzi.
Details of the Home Invasion
The deadly incident began the day before the murder, when the suspects initially appeared at the Murray home, claiming to be investigating a gas leak. According to Murray’s wife, the men were not allowed inside.
However, they returned on Friday and were granted entry. Murray accompanied the men to the basement, purportedly to search for the leak. After a short while, the men re-emerged without him, tied up Murray’s wife, and restrained her hands with tape. She reported not seeing her husband after that moment and feared he had been kidnapped.
In a chilling detail, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department released home security footage that captured one of the suspects disguised as a utility worker. The footage shows the man, wearing a mask and holding a clipboard, claiming to be from the Michigan-based energy company DTE.
“We’re DTE. We’re checking for gas leaks,” the suspect can be heard saying in the video.
First Suspect’s Arrest and Extradition
The other suspect, 37-year-old Carlos Jose Hernandez, was arrested last Saturday. He has also been charged with murder, and authorities are working to extradite him from Louisiana to Michigan.
Sheriff’s Statement on the Case
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard commended the investigative team for their swift action in moving the case forward.
“I want to reiterate how proud I am of our whole team and what they did to quickly move this case forward, not only taking our suspects off the street, but bringing evidence to the prosecutor to move this into her court for the next phase,” Bouchard said in a statement on Thursday.
The investigation continues as the legal proceedings move into their next phase.