ROCHESTER HILLS (WWJ) — Joshua Zuazo of Dearborn, one of two men charged in the death of 72-year-old Rochester Hills businessman Hussein Murray has pleaded not guilty.
Zuazo, 39, entered the not guilty plea Friday afternoon in 52-3 District Court, a day after the Oakland County Sheriff's Office announced he had been charged with one count of felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
Judge Laura Polizzi ordered Zuazo to be held without bond.
"It is obvious that these charges are very serious. This court has a concern about the public safety and this court does have concerns about flight risk," Polizzi said during Friday's arraignment.
Michigan Department of Corrections records show Zuazo has an extensive criminal history. WWJ Newsradio 950's Jon Hewett reported pre-trial services said Zuazo also has a failure to appear in court in other cases.
Zuazo was arrested during a traffic stop in Plymouth Township earlier this week, two days after police announced 37-year-old Carlos Hernandez of Dearborn had been taken into custody in Louisiana. Hernandez was also charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
Officials said Friday Hernandez waived his extradition and is expected back in Michigan sometime next week.
Zuazo's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 29, with a preliminary exam set for a week later on Nov. 4.
“I want to reiterate how proud I am of our whole team and what they did to quickly move this case forward, not only taking our suspects off the street, but bringing evidence to the prosecutor to move this into her court for the next phase,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a Thursday press release.
The sheriff’s office says the two men posed as DTE workers — displaying a placard on their truck, wearing neon vests, and holding DTE “paperwork” on a clipboard — in order to gain entry to the victim's home in an upscale neighborhood near Adams and Tienken Roads.
The suspects first went to the upscale home on Newcastle Drive last Thursday night, Oct. 10, and said they were searching for a gas leak. Authorities say it was a ruse to be able to get inside the home and rob Murray and his 72-year-old wife.
The homeowners did not allow them in Thursday, but the suspects returned Friday and were let in the house, according to the sheriff’s office.
Murray accompanied the men into the basement, ostensibly to look for the gas leak. The victim’s wife never saw him come up from the basement.
The wife, who had been tied up and duct taped, was eventually able to free herself after they left and she called 911, according to the sheriff’s office. She told responding deputies at the time she believed her husband may have been kidnapped.
As deputies searched the home to make sure it was safe, they found his body in the basement. The wife was taken to the hospital to be checked out, but has been released.
Authorities have not yet said whether anything was taken from the home.
Hernandez was arrested Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana by Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office. Caddo deputies on I-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, awaiting extradition.
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