Judge sentences wife of fake DTE worker for 2024 Rochester Hills murder: 'You were all-in'

FOX 2 - The wife of a man sentenced to life in prison for posing as a DTE worker and murdering a Hussein Murray, was sentenced to 57 months to 20 years in prison for his 2024 killing.

Amanda Hernandez sentenced

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On Wednesday, Amanda Ileana Hernandez was sentenced for her role in helping plan the elaborate scheme of two men posing as DTE workers addressing a gas leak in an attempted robbery and murder of Hussein "Sam" Murray.

Fake DTE attempted robbery and murder

The backstory:

Hernandez, 34, is married to Carlos Hernandez, who, along with a second man, Joshua Zuazo, impersonated DTE workers to break into a Rochester Hills residence and kill the Hamtramck jeweler as part of a robbery. 

Last month she entered a plea in the case in which she was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to commit false impersonation of a utility worker. 

READ MORE: DTE impostors who murdered Rochester Hills man sentenced to life without parole

As part of her plea, she received one year to five years on the second count and one year to two years on the third.

What they're saying:

Linda Murray, the victim's wife of 53 years, and two of her sons admonished Hernandez in court during their statements.

"I'm not even sure that Mrs. Hernandez deserves any words to be said to her," said Moheeb Murray, the middle son of Murray. "We've been in this court many times. She hasn't even had the decency to look at us once as if we've wronged her."

Hernandez did speak in court, saying she regretted her actions since 2022 since she married Carlos. 

"I just want to say that I do have my deepest sympathies with the family. Like my attorney (said), I kept my head down and everything," she said. "I regret every choice I've made since 2022 of marrying my husband and knowing who he was."

Amanda Hernandez role

Dig deeper:

The ruse was to get inside Hussein "Sam" Murray's home before killing him in October 2024. Amanda Hernandez played an active role in the planning and cover-up of the crime.

Court evidence showed she helped the duo as they procured fake DTE magnet signs for their work van, gas leak paperwork and hard hats. 

Damning text messages of the plotting and scheming were revealed during the trial of her husband, including Amanda talking about the quality of the getaway car the men were using, online searches for DTE ID badges, gas checklists, and service letters.

Judge Nanci Grant read many of them in court back to Amanda, and said she had not been aware that the woman was intimately involved in the scheme.

"When asked about the offense, the defendant stated, ‘I guess I married the wrong person,’ which I was speechless with," she said. "You may have married the wrong person, but you were wholly involved in this. You had zero problems making those searches, picking them up, making clear what was going on."

More: Read more of their text messages here. 

"You were all-in on this"

What they're saying:

Judge Grant said at any point before the home invasion that Amanda could have contacted police. 

"You are not an innocent victim, you were all-in on this," Grant said. "This is something you are going to have to live with." 

Carlos Hernandez and Zuazo were sentenced to life in prison without parole in December 2025, after being found guilty.

Texts between Carlos and Amanda were revealed with the two planning of eventually affording a new home with the ill-gotten gains. 

Linda Murray, who was tied up during the home invasion, called out that motivation in particular, in a brief but powerful impact statement. 

"Maybe instead of looking for the easy way to get a house with a big yard – and if you and your husband had worked as hard as my husband did, you might have had one without planning to rob us and getting my husband killed," Linda Murray said. "I hope you get the punishment you deserve for robbing me of the love of my life and the father of my children."