Sheriff Seeking Extradition of Murder Suspect Arrested in Louisiana
(OCSO, Oct 13, 2024)
Rochester Hills, MI – A Dearborn man who posed as a DTE employee with another man to gain access to a Rochester Hills home where the homeowner was killed was charged today with felony murder.
Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, is charged in Friday’s slaying of 72-year-old Rochester Hills businessman Hussein Murray. Oakland County prosecutors authorized a three-count warrant today charging Hernandez with felony murder – a mandatory life offense if convicted – and two counts of unlawful imprisonment – 15-year felonies.
Robbery is the underlying felony on the murder charge. The warrant was signed today by a magistrate.
“This case is an extremely disturbing and tragic event for which we intend to hold the perpetrators fully accountable,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. “I am so proud of our whole team and how they worked around the clock to bring this case forward. I am also very proud of our partnership with the U.S. Marshal’s Service as well as the local sheriff’s office that was watching for our suspect vehicle. We continue to ask the public’s help for information on locating the second suspect.”
Hernandez was arrested about 4 p.m. Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana by Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies without incident. Caddo deputies on Interstate 49 spotted a vehicle that matched the description of Hernandez’s vehicle.
Deputies made a traffic stop and arrested Hernandez for multiple armed robbery warrants out of Ohio and the Oakland County murder warrant. He is being held in the Caddo Correction Center.
It was not immediately known if Hernandez would waive extradition to Michigan.
He is scheduled to appear in court in the next few days. Sheriff’s detectives have been working around the clock to solve the homicide. Detectives were looking for two male suspects – Hernandez and an unidentified male – who posed as DTE employees to gain access to the home in an upscale Rochester Hills neighborhood.
Hernandez and his accomplice tried to get in the Murray’s home on Thursday night, posing as DTE employees who were investigating a gas leak. They were turned away but Hernandez and the accomplice returned shortly before noon Friday to the home in the 3700 block of Newcastle. They were allowed in the home and her husband accompanied the two men into the basement, ostensibly to look for the leak.
The victim’s wife never saw him emerge from the basement. Deputies were dispatched to the scene Friday after the victim’s wife called 911.
Upon their arrival, deputies found that she had been tied up and her hands were duct taped. The wife told deputies she believed at the time that her husband may have been kidnapped. While checking the house to make sure it was safe, deputies found the husband’s body in the basement. Murray’s 72-year-old wife was briefly hospitalized after the incident and released.
Detectives have not yet determined if anything was taken from the home.
Anyone with information who may have seen Hernandez, his accomplice or have any information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Tipsters remain anonymous.
NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
This story is presented without internal advertising due to the nature of the story.
