Second DTE impersonation murder suspect arrested

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The second man accused of impersonating a DTE worker and murdering a man inside his Rochester Hills home has been arrested, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department announced Monday.

The man, whose name has not been publicly released, was arrested at around 1:40 p.m. Monday in Plymouth Township after a traffic stop. Police say he did not resist arrest.

Police have not provided information on the unnamed man’s potential charges. However, the man is accused of collaborating with Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, in impersonating DTE workers to gain access to what police call an “upscale home” in the 3700 block of Newcastle Drive and murdering one of the occupants, 72-year-old Hussein Murray.

The pair allegedly showed up at the home on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 10, claiming there was a gas leak, but were turned away by the homeowners. The following day, they showed up again and were allowed inside the home, with Murray signing a piece of paper the men claimed was from DTE.

Murray then accompanied the two men down into the basement to look for the leak. His wife did not see him return upstairs and, at the time, believed him to have been kidnapped. When the two men returned upstairs, they asked her where the money and jewelry were and duct-taped her wrists and ankles. At one point, she began to scream, and Hernandez allegedly hit her across the face.

The two men then allegedly searched the house, took the woman’s phone and watch, and left in an older model white pick-up truck with a DTE sign on the side.

Deputies were dispatched to the home shortly before noon on Friday, Oct. 11 after Murray’s wife called 911. When they arrived at the scene, they found Murray’s wife tied up with her hands duct-taped. She was briefly hospitalized after the incident but has since been released.

While searching the home, deputies found Murray’s body in the basement of the home with his wrists and ankles duct-taped.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department reports that Hernandez was taken into custody on Saturday, Oct. 12. in Shreveport, Louisiana. and charged with murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. He was arrested on an unspecified warrant out of Ohio and a warrant out of Oakland County for this incident.

Hernandez will appear in a Louisiana courtroom to begin extradition to Oakland County for his arraignment.

The investigation is ongoing.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.