On Friday, October 11, two men visited the home of Hussein Murray, 72, and his wife in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Allegedly, the two men were dressed up as utility workers and claimed that they were with DTE Energy, a Detroit energy company, and were investigating a gas leak. Murray accompanied the men to his basement, but he never came back up. He was found dead. Two suspects have been arrested and charged with murder.
According to Murray's wife, previously, on Thursday, October 10, the two men also attempted to enter the house. They used the very same excuse. That time, however, they were denied entry. On Friday, though, they managed to enter the house and allegedly murder Murray. His wife was later tied by the two men while they began searching the house. Murray owned a jewelry shot in Michigan.
Michael Bouchard, Oakland County Sheriff, talked about this as a possible motive behind the murder. "It wasn't random, they're not just knocking on doors and doing this," he said, according to WXYZ. "We think they were specifically looking to violate this family and obviously, the one link we're looking at initially is because they own a business."
A Gruesome Scene
When officers answered the wife's 911 call, they discovered Murray's body in the basement. They were unable to determine the exact cause of death, which remains to be determined. "Because of the gruesome nature of the injuries, it was not immediately clear if he had been shot or bludgeoned to death," said Bouchard.
Following Murray's death, two suspects were arrested. One man, Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, was arrested on Saturday in Louisiana and charged with murder. The other man was arrested on Saturday, but his identity remains unknown at the moment.
DTE Energy later issued a statement after learning about the details of the alleged homicide. "If anyone arrives at your home or business claiming they are from DTE, please ask to see a badge with a photo ID," reads the statement. "If the person refuses to show their badge, do not allow them entry into your home." The company advises that anyone should call 911 if the person in question "becomes agitated or acts in a strange manner."
Investigations continue surrounding this case, but Sherrif Bouchard claims that they are "going to check every direction and every potential motive."
