LEFT: Carlos Jose Hernandez. RIGHT: Joshua Zuazo
By: Mary Beth Almond | Rochester Post | Published October 6, 2025
ROCHESTER HILLS — Two men disguised at DTE workers were found guilty this month of murdering Hussein “Sam” Murray in his Rochester Hills home last fall.
On Oct. 3, separate juries found Carlos Jose Hernandez, 38, and Joshua Zuazo, 40, both of Dearborn, guilty of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. Both defendants had separate trials in the same room with separate juries.
The verdict comes nearly a year after authorities say the two men, posing as DTE workers, came to Murray’s home claiming they needed to investigate a gas leak.
Murray, 73, who owned a jewelry store in Hamtramck and a pawn shop, escorted the two men into his home on Newcastle Drive Oct. 11, 2024, and into the basement.
Linda Murray, Hussein Murray’s wife, testified that Hernandez came back upstairs without her husband and asked her where her jewelry, safe and cash were.
Zuazo, she said, was close behind, coming upstairs seconds later. Linda Murray said she then inquired about the whereabouts of her husband.
“Zuazo tells me, ‘He’s sleeping,’ and I notice blood on his vest and I start screaming,” she said, adding that Hernandez then hit her in the face to cover her mouth.
She further testified that Hernandez bound her ankles and wrists with duct tape, while Zuazo ransacked the house, looking for valuables.
The two men, she said, fled the scene with her cellphone, car keys, cash and some of her jewelry. However, she was able to free herself enough to call 911 on the house phone.
When investigators arrived, they found Hussein Murray’s body in the basement. Police initially believed he had been shot in the head.
Oakland County Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Shauna Bryan testified in court that Murray, whose hands and legs were bound with duct tape and zip ties, was severely beaten. His autopsy showed he suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the head and neck, including a broken jaw and two fractures in a U-shaped neck bone called the hyoid.
Bryan determined the primary cause of death was “neck compression,” or sustained pressure on his neck. The manner of death, she said, was a homicide.
“The cause of death I’ve listed here is neck compression, but there is also a mechanism of death,” she said in court. “Just because you break the hyoid bone doesn’t mean you die from that. What he actually died from is asphyxia.”
Detective Jordan Conley, with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, shared text messages exchanged between Hernandez and Hernandez’s wife before the murder. One text showed Hernandez’s wife was worried about what her husband was about to do, stating, “Remember what I said, if you have to leave with nothing, that’s ok. You’re the most important.”
She later texted, “I’m so nervous but you guys seem to have it down. I feel better now that you have a good getaway car.”
The prosecution presented evidence tying the defendants to the crime, including duct tape and zip ties matching those used to restrain Murray, text messages, surveillance footage, DNA found on items at the scene and in the basement, and eyewitness testimony from Linda Murray.
“At no point have I ever theorized that only one of the defendants obliterated Mr. Murray in that basement. I don’t believe only one of those defendants had contact with him when this was occurring. I believe both defendants had contact with him in that basement,” said Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa.
Both defendants declined to testify.
Zuazo’s attorney, Michael McCarthy, argued that the prosecution failed to clearly identify Zuazo as a participant, citing a lack of evidence found at his home. He emphasized that Hernandez had the greater involvement, citing his money problems and desire to buy a house with a nice yard for his new wife.
Hernandez’s attorney, county public defender Paulette Loftin, said Hernandez did not take part in the beating of Murray and doesn’t fall into any of the states of mind needed for the felony murder charge. She claimed there was a lack of blood evidence on Hernandez and shifted the blame to Zuazo, who Linda Murray testified was wearing clothing with blood on it when he returned from the basement.
First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Unlawful imprisonment is a felony punishable by up to 15 years and/or a fine of up to $20,000. Both men were denied bond. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9.