ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – Nearly a year after 72-year-old Hussein Murray was murdered in his Rochester Hills home, the trial has begun for the men charged in connection with the crime.
Witnesses began testifying on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the trial of Carlos Jose Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo. The two men were charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. The two allegedly disguised themselves as DTE workers to gain entry to Murray’s home on Oct. 11, 2024.
Murray owned a jewelry store in Hamtramck. During the attack, his wife was present and tied up with duct tape while Murray was killed in the basement.
The woman managed to 911 after freeing herself and when Oakland County sheriff’s deputies arrived, she told them she believed her husband may have been kidnapped. While searching the home, deputies found Murray’s body in the basement.
Hernandez was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Hernandez was spotted traveling south on I-49 from Arkansas. Investigators pulled him over and took him into custody.
He was extradited from Louisiana and taken to the Oakland County Jail on Oct. 24, 2024.
After Hernandez was arrested, his wife reportedly told investigators the other suspect was Zuazo, who was then located by law enforcement in Plymouth Township and arrested on Oct. 14, 2024.
Prosecution opening statements
Prosecutors argue that Hernandez and Zuazo orchestrated a targeted and premeditated attack. Evidence includes Ring camera footage, pawnshop receipts, and testimony indicating prior visits to Murray’s shop, suggesting planning. Items linked to the crime, such as bloodstained shoes and jewelry boxes, were reportedly found in their possession, alongside DNA evidence connecting them to the scene.
Prosecutors said the pair used a stolen truck and a stolen license plate linked to a DTE vehicle. The stolen truck was found burned in Detroit.
Prosecutors said the original license plate on the stolen truck was found with Hernandez when he was arrested out of state.
“This was well-planned, well-targeted and ended horribly.”
Defense opening statements
Hernandez’s defense attorney argued he was involved but did not kill Murray. She said her client did not share the mental state required for felony murder and that the death was not part of any plan or discussion involving him.
Zuazo’s defense attorney focused on the second person involved in the crime, saying jurors must determine if it is Zuazo. While evidence identifies Hernandez, the prosecution must prove Zuazo’s involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.
Witness #01: Kristin Nahass, neighbor
The first witness was Kristin Nahass, a neighbor who recalled seeing a slow-moving white pickup truck with DTE decals near Murray’s home as she walked her dogs on the morning of his death.
She said she heard a squeaky belt behind her before she saw the truck, describing it as obnoxious and driving toward the Murray’s home at maybe 5 mph.
Nahass said she continued walking down the road and stopped to let her dog sniff the ground, at which point the truck was now heading down the road toward her.
“Slow as could be, almost as if they were advertising, ‘Hey, I’m casing your street,’” she said.
She attempted to confront the driver but changed her mind after seeing the DTE decals. Two men were in the truck, which pulled up to the curb near the Murray’s home.
Nahass didn’t see the two men leave the truck, but heard them get out and grab items from the truck bed.
She said she left her home at about 11:15 a.m. and returned before 11:30 a.m.
When she saw the large police presence on her street shortly after, she recalled finding it strange what the men were wearing because it was a “short-sleeve weather day.”
Nahass testified that the driver of the truck was wearing a balaclava or ski mask and a hood wrapped around his head. The other man also had a hood up and was looking away. She didn’t think it was weird until she saw the police.
Witness #02: Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy TasRay Copeland
The second person to testify was Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy TasRay Copeland, who was the first law enforcement officer to respond to the scene.
Copeland was in the area when a call came in reporting a robbery in Rochester Hills. He said he arrived within five minutes and was the first officer on the scene.
He walked up to the home, knocked on the door, and rang the doorbell, but no one answered. He then walked around the house before the wife came to the front door to let him inside. She had her wrists still duct-taped together.
Copeland said he cut the tape off her wrists as she told him that a DTE truck and workers had shown up earlier but had already left.
---> Fake DTE workers trial: Audio of murder scene in basement, video of Oakland County wife duct taped
He directed her to stand outside while he cleared the home. Because the house was large, Copeland waited for additional law enforcement officers before searching the entire home.
When they searched the basement, the lights were still on. Copeland spotted blood on the walls and the railing on the stairs leading to the basement, where they found Murray’s body.
Murray was found with a gun holster on his waist, but it was empty. His gun was never recovered.
Copeland said he believed Murray was shot in the face at the time, and did not check for a pulse because he was confident he was dead.
Witness #03: Forensic investigator Valerie Mayra
Valerie Mayra, a forensic laboratory investigator for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, was the third person to testify. She is an expert in fingerprint and crime scene analysis and was called to the home to help process the scene.
Mayra said Murray was found bound at his hands and feet, lying on his side in his own blood.
“This was especially brutal,” she said.
He was bound with two different kinds of duct tape, gray and black. Zip ties were also found.
Mayra said she was not able to get fingerprints that matched suspects Zuazo and Hernandez, suggesting they could have been wearing gloves.
The defense argued that it is difficult to use duct tape while wearing gloves.
The prosecution countered that there are multiple ways to use duct tape.
After Mayra testified, the court took an hour-long break for lunch.
Witness #04: Thomas Keeling
Thomas Keeling, a sign installer for Poco Inc., reported his white Ford 250 pickup truck stolen on Sept. 30, 2024, after it was taken from his daughter’s driveway in Dearborn Heights. The truck, which had a faulty locking driver’s door and distinctive company logos, was later found burning in Detroit.
No surveillance video was captured of the theft.
Keeling also stated he had no known connection to the defendants involved in the case.
Witness #05: Linda Murray
The fifth witness to testify was Linda Murray, Hussein Murray’s wife who was attacked and bound after two men posing as DTE workers entered their home.
Married for 54 years with three children and 11 grandchildren, Linda described her husband’s routine. He worked at a jewelry store and a pawn shop in Hamtramck, leaving for work around noon and returning about 7 p.m. He drove an older Audi he had owned for five or six years and carried a Glock for protection.
She testified that the night before the crime Linda was home around 10 p.m. when Hernandez came to the door claiming to be with DTE, needing to identify a gas leak. She said Zuazo was standing on the sidewalk behind him.
Linda received a notification from her Ring camera while upstairs and saw her husband answer the door. She testified that Hernandez asked for permission to check the furnace, saying it was necessary despite the late hour. Linda asked her husband loudly if he had his gun, so the men outside could hear and Hernandez said they would return the next day and left.
Though they found the situation strange since they did not smell gas, they did not call the police or DTE to verify.
She said Hernandez returned with Zuazo the next morning. Linda identified both men in court as the intruders. She said Hernandez asked to enter the home before the two entered.
She said Hernandez said he had to go to the truck to get something he forgot, but he was never seen leaving or re-entering, nor did she hear a chime that goes off when the door is opened.
The defense argued that the chime wouldn’t go off if the door was kept open.
When her husband went to the basement, where the furnace and water heaters are located, both men followed and closed the door behind them. Linda went to cook her breakfast and said she did not hear any noise from the basement during the next 10 to 15 minutes.
She testified that Hernandez emerged from the basement and demanded to know where the jewelry and safe were. Linda told him they did not have a safe and only had the money they carried. She went on to say that Zuazo came upstairs behind Hernandez and Linda repeatedly asked where her husband was. Zuazo said he was sleeping, but Linda noticed he had blood on him and began screaming.
That’s when Hernandez allegedly hit Linda in the face and covered her mouth. She later received medical attention for the injury and lost a tooth. She said Hernandez continued to ask about money, the safe, and jewelry as Zuazo went upstairs.
Her arms and legs were bound with duct tape. Linda testified that she never saw any blood on Hernandez.
She said she saw Zuazo come downstairs carrying a drawer from her jewelry box. The men reportedly took $300 from her purse, her cellphone, watch and keys.
The men reportedly left through the garage after Zuazo told Hernandez, “Let’s go, bro.”
Linda was able to break free from the bindings on her legs and used a landline to call 911.
During cross-examination, the defense argued that police had told Linda the names of the defendants and suggested her story might have been influenced by news coverage that also identified the two men.
She said she had no question or doubt that the two men who entered her home and assaulted her were Hernandez and Zuazo.
Witness #06: Hanna Hussein
Hanna Hussein, a family member employed by Hussein Murray for 20 years at both his stores, was the sixth witness to testify.
She explained that state law requires fingerprinting and ID verification when accepting a pawn.
After the two men were arrested, Hussein reviewed the pawn shop’s records to check for any prior involvement with them. She said Carlos Hernandez had multiple interactions with the store dating back to March 7, 2022, and had his ID on file.
On Oct. 18, 2023, Hernandez reportedly pawned several items, including one for $100, another for $400, Cartier glasses for $1,200, and a gold charm for $1,100.
Hernandez redeemed the items in early 2024.
She said Hernandez came into the store to ask about Rolex watches in 2024. Hussein said she was doing inventory with Murray when Hernandez came in and asked. She directed him to a display case, and they discussed the watches before Hernandez asked who owned the store. She then called Murray over.
The two men shook hands and began talking. Hussein did not recall the exact date.
She identified Hernandez in the courtroom as the man who entered the store, and said the meeting stood out because of his size.
Witness #07: Brian Broad
Brian Broad, a manager at St. Marys Cement in Detroit, testified as the seventh witness. He said Zuazo was initially employed as a temporary worker before being hired full-time after three months.
Broad said Zuazo was issued work boots, a high-visibility uniform, 11 shirts, and 11 pairs of pants. He described Zuazo as a good worker but inconsistent with safety protocols at the industrial facility.
Broad added that Zuazo was known by some coworkers as “Yogi.”
When Zuazo was let go, Broad said he was allegedly threatened with death by Zuazo. Broad did not report the threat to police, explaining he had been threatened by a former employee before and believed the police would not help.
Broad recognized Zuazo in the Ring camera footage, noting he wore the same hat and carried the satchel he “always” had. He also appeared to be wearing one of the work shirts and walked the same way.
Broad said the voice in the footage matched Zuazo’s, and the person appeared to be wearing a St. Marys Cement uniform with the label removed, along with the steel-toed boots issued by the company. He pointed out the high-visibility uniform was fire-resistant, a feature uncommon in other industries.
Witness #08: David Pachmayer
The last witness of the day was David Pachmayer, a detective with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
He said the Detroit Police Department alerted him to a burning vehicle that may have been involved in the crime. Although the vehicle was badly burned, Pachmayer was able to identify its vehicle identification number (VIN) and discovered it had a license plate stolen from a DTE truck.
The VIN revealed the truck was not the DTE truck the plate was assigned to, but was stolen from Dearborn Heights on Sept. 30.
Pachmayer said they found footage of the truck driving through Hamtramck on Oct. 11, 2024, after the 911 call from Rochester Hills. The footage was captured north of where the vehicle was found burning in Detroit.
Minutes later, surveillance captured a Jeep, believed to be owned by Hernandez, in the area.
He testified that he was contacted by a Home Depot, which provided video of Hernandez and Zuazo entering an Allen Park store together. There, they purchased duct tape, a high-visibility vest, gloves, and other items.
Pachmayer said Murray and his wife were bound with the same type of duct tape purchased.
Additionally, Hernandez’s Jeep was spotted in an Allen Park Lowe’s parking lot at about 9:30 a.m. on the day of the murder. Surveillance footage shown in court appeared to show Hernandez and Zuazo leaving the Jeep, entering the store, and buying items.