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.
Eight witnesses testified on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the trial of Carlos Jose Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo. Testimonies continued into a second day Thursday, Oct. 2.
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.
Day 1 summary
On the first day, Kristin Nahass, a neighbor, described a suspicious white pickup truck with DTE decals near the victim’s home, while Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy TasRay Copeland recounted being the first officer to arrive and finding the victim’s wife bound and Murray’s body in the basement.
Forensic investigator Valerie Mayra detailed the crime scene, including the use of duct tape and zip ties, while other witnesses connected the suspects, Hernandez and Zuazo, to the crime through vehicle sightings and purchases of incriminating items.
Linda Murray, the wife of Hussein Murray, testified that Hernandez came to the house the night before and claimed to be investigating a gas leak, but left after Linda loudly mentioned her husband’s gun. The following day, both men returned, and once inside, Hernandez demanded jewelry and money, while Zuazo followed Hussein to the basement. Linda was assaulted, bound with duct tape, and said she saw Zuazo carrying away items from her jewelry box.
---> Day 1 of testimonies in trial for men accused of posing as DTE workers, killing Rochester Hills man
Witness #08: David Pachmayer
The second day of testimonies began with the defense attorneys cross-examining David Pachmayer, a detective with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
On Wednesday, Pachmayer testified that Detroit Police alerted him to a burning vehicle believed to be the truck used in the crime. Pachmayer was able to identify its vehicle identification number (VIN) and discovered it had a license plate stolen from a DTE truck.
Home Depot provided video evidence to investigators of Hernandez and Zuazo purchasing items like duct tape, which matched what was used to bind victims Murray and his wife.
Hernandez’s Jeep was also seen at an Allen Park Lowe’s on the morning of the murder.
During cross-examination, Pachmayer recalled meeting with Brian Broad, who identified Zuazo in the Ring video and potential inconsistencies with Broad’s written statement to police.
Defense brought up that it’s unknown who was driving the truck or Jeep when they were spotted in Hamtramck, and that the license plates were not visible. Pachmayer said the Jeep and the stolen truck both had custom work done on them and they were easily identified as Hernandez’s Jeep and the suspect vehicle.
Witness #09: Eric Hill
The second witness on Thursday was Eric Hill, an officer with the Detroit Police Department who was at the scene of the burning F-250.
Hill said there’s not much going on in the area of Detroit and that having a truck on fire in the early afternoon was very suspicious. It was found north of Seven Mile Road and east of John R Street.
Witness #10: Martez Dixon
After Hill, the juries heard testimony from Martez Dixon, an investigator for the Detroit Fire Department.
He arrived at the scene of the burning truck after it was extinguished and ruled that the fire started inside the truck and spread throughout.
He was unable to determine what caused the fire.
Witness #11: Casey Jones
Lt. Det. Casey Jones of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office testified about the arrest of Carlos Hernandez on Oct. 12, 2024, on Interstate 49 in Louisiana.
Hernandez was stopped while driving a white Jeep with his wife and child. Photos presented in court showed various items inside the vehicle, including clothing, masks and a license plate linked to the stolen truck.
Physical evidence seized during the stop included a clipboard, a DTE sign, a purple license plate, a Pandora box, a turtle pendant, a gas meter reader, a gray fisherman hat, a Home Depot bag with tools and a hammer.
Some evidence was sent to Oakland County for testing. This included tan boots, a white mask, a face covering, an N95 mask, a white T-shirt, black Nike shoes and a pair of black and brown gloves.
The defense questioned why the black and brown gloves were listed as evidence when no photos of them were shown and they were not listed on the documents presented.
Prosecutors said that evidence is listed and logged in multiple ways and that the gloves appear in one of the reports.
Witness #12: Siera Ramirez
Siera Ramirez, a forensic analyst with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, testified next. She specializes in DNA analysis and has testified as a DNA expert in court cases before.
She recalled being called to the scene to collect evidence before going on to do the DNA testing in the murder, including items found in Hernandez’s Jeep.
Her supervisor for the investigation was forensic investigator Valerie Mayra, who testified on Wednesday.
Ramirez detailed DNA results from several items:
- The interior of a balaclava mask showed a single-male DNA profile with very strong statistical support for Zuazo. Another balaclava mask strongly suggested Hernandez’s DNA.
- A white T-shirt with an exterior stain showed a single-male profile with overwhelming support for Hussein Murray. A collar swab, which was a mixture of three DNA profiles, strongly supported Hernandez.
- Brown Timberland boots with an exterior stain showed a single-male profile with very strong support for Hussein.
Jury issues
After a break for lunch, the judge told the attorneys and prosecutors that she had received an email from a juror expressing dissatisfaction with the handling of jurors.
The judge, after discussing with counsel, explained that courthouse staff follow security protocols and cannot allow jurors to leave without permission. The judge reminded the juror of the no-private-communication rule and questioned how the email was obtained.
The juror admitted searching for the judge’s contact online but claimed no discussions with other jurors or exposure to case news; the court reiterated that only in-court evidence is valid.
Witness #13: Gerardo Saucedo
Gerardo Saucedo, a graphic artist who owns a sign shop in Detroit, testified next. He has worked there for about 25 years.
After hearing about the murder on the radio, Saucedo became concerned and contacted his attorney and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office to report and clear his involvement.
Video clips shown in court appeared to show Hernandez entering the store and speaking with Saucedo about the signs. The signs were ordered on Oct. 4.
Saucedo then identified Hernandez in the courtroom as the person he made the magnetic DTE signs for.
The signs were picked up on Oct. 9. Saucedo said Hernandez told him he was a contractor and explained that it was not uncommon for contractors to buy signs like those.
Witness #14: Danielle Diaz
The next person to testify was Danielle Diaz, the mother-in-law of Hernandez, who has been married to her daughter for a little over a year.
Diaz has worked at a Home Depot for nearly 30 years. She said she is very close with her 4-year-old grandson.
She testified that Hernandez had a friend he called Yogi, whom she identified as Zuazo.
Starting in August 2024, Hernandez, her daughter, and her grandson were visiting Diaz from Texas. Diaz said a white pickup truck had been parked outside her home for about a week before the murder.
She said she would have called the police if she had known the truck was stolen.
When she learned about what happened in Rochester Hills, she said her daughter, Hernandez, and her grandson had already left the state.
When she returned home from work that day, police were there, and she allowed them to search the home.
Diaz also identified Hernandez and Zuazo as the two people captured in the Ring camera footage from the Murrays’ home.
The defense argued that Diaz had only met Zuazo once before and had previously been unable to identify him from the Ring footage while under oath in December 2024.
Witness #15: Jesse Haglund
Jesse Haglund worked as a school resource officer who responded to the scene in case it would impact the nearby Rochester High School. He would escort Linda Murray to a squad car, where she described the men to him.
He later took part in the execution of a search warrant of Diaz’s home in Lincoln Park, where he was told the suspect had been staying for months. They found the clipboard and DTE forms that were seen in the Ring footage and DTE cutouts found under the couch.
Witness #16:
A detective from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office testified on his interactions with Linda Murray, which included multiple interviews over a week or two.
Witness #17: Wendell Smith
The last testimony of Thursday came from Oakland County Sheriff’s Detective Wendell Smith, who traveled to Louisiana to transport evidence back to Michigan and spoke with Hernandez during the trip.
Footage of the interview was played, showing Hernandez repeatedly trying to negotiate a deal through a prosecutor.
Hernandez claimed his wife did not know what happened, but detectives said she was aware of something. He repeated that he doesn’t talk to his wife.
Detectives mentioned that his wife was receiving text messages from family members about the murder during the drive, but Hernandez refused to answer her questions.
Hernandez said he recorded conversations and has video on his phone related to the case.
He admitted to having evidence in his Jeep as an insurance policy, but detectives said what was found in the Jeep incriminated him more than Zuazo.
Hernandez declined to explain what happened, stating he faces life in prison for something he did not do.
“It was never supposed to happen,” he told detectives.
He claimed he believes someone sold Murray’s gun, which was never recovered, but said he never had possession of it.
Detectives said they found a list of addresses, saying Hernandez and Zuazo planned other break-ins. Hernandez said multiple groups pose as utility workers from various companies to carry out burglaries, and that he was given the DTE forms by someone who takes a cut of the burglaries.
Throughout the interview, Hernandez repeatedly said he would answer questions for prosecutors if it meant getting a deal.
“You get me in front of the prosecutor, I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” he said.
When asked if he saw blood on Zuazo, Hernandez hesitated before saying he did.