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Suspects sentenced to life in fake DTE workers murder
In the fall, jurors found Carlos Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment for the Oct. 11, 2024 murder of 72-year-old Hussein Murray in the basement of his home. The pair also received 19-80 years in prison for the unlawful imprisonment convictions. Both men declined to speak during sentencing, as they plan to appeal.
(FOX 2) - Prosecutors have charged the wife of one of the men sentenced for murdering a Rochester Hills man after they posed as fake employees with DTE.
Amanda Hernandez, 34, the wife of Carlos Hernandez — one of the two serving a life sentence for killing Hussein "Sam" Murray — is expected to be arraigned on counts of conspiracy to commit first degree home invasion, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to commit false impersonation of a utility worker.
Amanda's involvement was made public during the murder trial in October 2025 when text messages were revealed during witness testimony.
Amanda Ileana Hernandez
‘Your life and freedom is important to me’
Text messages revealed in court came following forensic extractions of Carlos Hernandez's phone.
The conversations between Carlos and Amanda span several months in 2024 in the lead-up to Murray's grisly murder when he was killed in the basement of his Rochester Hills home.
The messages appear to show Amanda was aware of what Carlos and Joshua Zuazo had planned to do.
"Remember what I said if you have to leave with nothing that's ok your the most important," she texted Carlos in September 2024.
"I know baby," he responds.
"I'll text u when we make it up there," he adds.
"As long as you know your life and freedom is important to me," she replies.
"Ok baby," he said.
Around this time, both Zuazo and Carlos Hernandez had tried stealing a white van they intended to use as a fake DTE vehicle.
"We fkd up," Carlos later says on Sept. 28.
Police later said a vehicle that had been stolen out of Dearborn Heights had been located in Detroit burned out. It had been stolen on Sept. 28.
"And make yogi take it don't be doing all the work," Amanda says after the attempt.
"Makes me mad its all of u cus ur the brains and the," she said.
Carlos later tells Amanda "We just got a car" on Sept. 30.
DTE impostors murder: Wife of convicted killer charged in connection with Rochester Hills slaying
A month after her husband was sentenced to life in prison for posing as a DTE worker to murder a Rochester Hills man, a Lincoln Park woman is facing charges for her alleged role in the crime.
‘I hope we get enough money to buy a house’
According to text messages between Amanda and Carlos, she assisted them in creating fake badges that would imply both he and Joshua Zuazo were employed by DTE.
The couple also hoped the scheme would net them enough money to purchase a home.
"I know baby but i dont want u rushing this i dont want anything happening to you," she texted Carlos.
"It's going to be ok," Carlos texted.
"I hope we get enough money to buy a house," he added.
"Me to baby our own home," Amanda replied, adding "no rent."
"If what I fee is here we gon be good," he later texts her.
"So we can have a nice back yard," she wrote.
‘We need to leave’
On the day of the murder, the two exchanged a few text messages before Amanda sent a link to an online article about police discovering Hussein's body in the basement.
"What do u wanna do." she asked him
"We need to leave," he replied.
"We need to get u outta here faster," she sent to him. "We don't have the money to do it."
She later told Carlos to put gas in the vehicle so it did not look like they had driven far.
"Im so sad baby im so sad," she later writes to him.
"It's going to be ok," he told her.
"Promise," she sent to him.
"Promise," he replied."
"Think it will blow over," she appeared to ask.
"Yes," he replied.
"I don't think anybody will tell that it's you," she added.
"I pray not," he said.
The Source: Text messages from court testimony and a press release from the Oakland County Prosecutors Office were cited for this story.