Wife of DTE impostor held on $100K bond for alleged role in Rochester Hills murder
Wife of DTE impostor who murdered man arraigned on charges
Amanda Hernandez, the wife of one of two men who posed as DTE workers to get inside a Rochester Hills home and murder a man, was arraigned Wednesday on charges stemming for her alleged role in the plot.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The wife of a man spending his life in prison for posing as a DTE worker and murdering a Rochester Hills man is now facing charges.
Amanda Ileana Hernandez, 34, was arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion, accessory after the fact, and conspiracy to commit false impersonation of a utility worker on Wednesday. A judge set her bond at $100,000 cash.
The backstory:
Amanda Hernandez's husband, Carlos Hernandez, and a second man, Joshua Zuazo, posed as DTE workers to gain access to Hussein "Sam" Murray's home before killing him in October 2024. Amanda Hernandez is accused of playing "an active role in the planning and cover-up of the crime."
Carlos Hernandez and Zuazo were sentenced to life in prison without parole last month after being found guilty of the October 2024 murder.
The pair first went to the victim's home on Newcastle Drive the night before the murder, claiming they were with DTE and were there to check a gas leak. When Hussein Murray's wife, Linda Murray, did not let them in, they said they would come back the next day, and they did.
Amanda Hernandez during her arraignment
During that visit, the men were let into the house and led down to the basement. Linda testified that Carlos Hernandez and Zuazo then came back upstairs without her husband, and Carlos Hernandez repeatedly asked her where the money, safe, and jewelry was.
When she asked the men about where her husband was, she said Zuazo told her "he was asleep." She said she then saw blood on his vest and screamed. She claimed Carlos Hernandez struck her when covering her mouth, asking her to be quiet. She was then bound with duct tape.
Items were then taken from the house by the suspects, including jewelry and cash.
Amanda's role:
Though Amanda Hernandez was not present when Murray was killed, authorities said text messages she exchanged with her husband show that she did play a part in the murder.
Excerpts of the texts that were shown during the trial of Carlos Hernandez and Zuazo showed that Carlos and Amanda discussed money they would get from the crime.
DTE Impostor Murder Case: Texts from wife reveal knowledge of scheme ahead of killing
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.
In one text message, Carlos Hernandez texted his wife saying that he hoped they would get enough money to buy a house. Other messages showed that Amanda Hernandez allegedly assisted with creating fake identification badges that the men used to gain access to Murray's home as fake DTE workers.
During Amanda Hernandez's arraignment, the prosecution also alleged that she helped her husband flee to Texas after the murder.
Read more of their text messages here.
The Source: FOX 2 attended Amanda Hernandez's arraignment. Previous reporting was also used.