Arrest Made in Fatal Michigan Home Invasion in Which Offenders Posed as Utility Workers

A man has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with a Michigan home invasion in which two men allegedly gained entry by posing as utility personnel.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office identified him as Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, and stated that they are seeking his extradition from Louisiana.

The second suspect is still at large, and the sheriff’s office is requesting anyone with information that could lead to an arrest to get in contact.

The sheriff’s office reported that a 72-year-old man was discovered dead in his Rochester Hills home’s basement on Friday. His wife, who had called 911, was bound up with her hands duct-taped.

It is unclear how the individual, named as Hussein Murray, was killed.

“Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear whether he had been shot or bludgeoned to death,” the sheriff’s department stated in a press release.

The woman told police authorities that the two suspects had arrived at the home the night before the incident, claiming to be responding to a gas leak, but were not let inside.

When they returned on Friday, they were let back into the house, and her husband accompanied them down the basement to “ostensibly look for the leak,” according to the sheriff’s department.

When they returned upstairs without her husband, they tied her up and taped her hands, the woman claimed. She didn’t see him emerge later and “assumed he had been kidnapped.”

The sheriff’s department released home security camera footage showing the since-arrested suspect wearing a utility worker’s suit and mask while clutching a clipboard.

“We are DTE. “We’re checking for gas leaks,” the man says in the video, referring to the Michigan-based energy firm.

Following the incident, DTE issued a statement advising customers to “be alert for DTE Energy impersonators.”

“If anyone arrives at your home or business claiming to be from DTE, please request to see a badge with a photo ID.” If the person refuses to show their badge, do not let them into your home. “If the person becomes agitated or acts strangely, call 911 immediately,” the business advised.

In an interview with Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ, Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard described Murray as “a loving guy, owned a business, cared about his neighborhood and his community.”

“[He] shouldn’t have been a target of this — no one should ever be a target of this,” Bouchard told reporters.

Murray operated a jewelry and pawn shop, according to WXYZ.

Bouchard stated that they believe Murray’s death was “very targeted.”

“It wasn’t random,” Bouchard stated. “They’re not just knocking on doors and doing this.”

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