Rochester Hills slaying suspect charged with murder; extradition sought from Louisiana – The Oakland Press

A suspect in the shooting death of a Rochester Hills man in his home has been charged with murder and is in the process of being extradited from Louisiana, according to a tweet from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, of Dearborn, was arrested Saturday in Louisiana and has been charged with murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, Oakland County District Attorney Karen McDonald said Sunday in a press release

“This was a horrific attack on an elderly couple in their home,” McDonald said in the statement. “I have authorized the highest charge that carries a sentence of life without parole for this brutal crime. My office will work diligently to ensure that this individual is held accountable and that the public is safe from violent predators.”

Unlawful imprisonment is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $20,000.

Hernandez is one of two men suspected of killing Hussein Murray, 72, of Rochester Hills on Friday. Murray’s 72-year-old wife, who has not been identified, was home during the break-in and was briefly hospitalized and released.

Hernandez was arrested without incident around 4:00 p.m. Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana, after deputies with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office on Interstate 49 spotted a vehicle matching the description of the Hernández’s vehicle.

Deputies conducted a traffic stop and arrested Hernandez on multiple armed robbery warrants out of Ohio and the Oakland County homicide warrant. He is being held at the Caddo Correctional Center.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said Hernandez plans to appear in court in the coming days and it was not immediately known if he would waive extradition to Michigan.

The investigation is ongoing and information on the second suspect has not yet been released.

“This case is an extremely disturbing and tragic event for which we intend to hold the perpetrators fully accountable,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a news release Sunday.

“I am very proud of our entire team and how they worked around the clock to move this case forward. I am also very proud of our partnership with the US Marshal’s Service as well as the local Sheriff’s Office who was watching our suspect vehicle. We continue to ask for the public’s help in obtaining information on the location of the second suspect.”

The death happened shortly before noon Friday at a home in the 3700 block of Newcastle, an upscale neighborhood.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Hernandez and a “thin black male” posed as DTE employees and were driving a white pickup truck with a DTE tag.

In a clip shared on the sheriff’s office’s social media accounts, an elderly man wearing a reflective vest and medical mask can be heard saying, “We’re DTE. We’re checking for gas leaks.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Murray’s wife told officers the men had come to the home Thursday night claiming there was a gas leak, but they were not let in. She said Friday that they were allowed into the house and her husband accompanied them to the basement, apparently to look for the leak.

The sheriff’s office said Murray’s wife called 911. She had been tied up and her hands had been taped. She initially told deputies she believed her husband may have been kidnapped. While searching the house, officers found the husband’s body in the basement.

Originally Posted: October 13, 2024 at 5:08 p.m