Suspects allegedly posed as utility workers before the attack, which left a 72-year-old man dead

A man is accused of posing as a utility worker to gain entry to an upscale Michigan home, killing the man living there and tying up his wife.

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, was charged Sunday with aggravated murder and other crimes in a “savage attack” on Hussein Murray, 72, and his 72-year-old wife Friday at their Rochester Hills home, prosecutors said. The victim owned a local jewelry store, and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told the Detroit News on Monday that the suspects likely followed him home from the store.

Hernandez was arrested Saturday in Shreveport, Louisiana, after sheriff’s officials distributed photos and videos from the couple’s doorbell camera that showed two men wearing fluorescent vests and displaying fake DTE Energy IDs and paperwork.

The second man was arrested during a traffic stop in Plymouth Township Monday afternoon. Sheriff’s officials announced thiswhich is about 40 miles from the Murrays’ home. He has not yet been publicly identified.

Prosecutors said Hernandez and the other man visited the Murrays’ home for the first time Thursday night and said they were there to check for a gas leak, but the Murrays wouldn’t let them in.

The men, driving a white pickup truck with a DTE sign on the side and traffic cones in the back, returned around 10 a.m. Friday, authorities said. Murray let her in after signing fake DTE papers. He led them to the basement, where officers found his body after his wife, identified by a local mosque When Linda Murchid Murray called 911. His wrists and ankles were bound with duct tape, prosecutors said.

Murray’s death was ruled a homicide by the Oakland County coroner. according to sheriff’s officialswho did not reveal its cause.

However, on Friday they said that “because of the cruel nature of [Murray’s] Injuries,” they couldn’t immediately say whether he had been shot or bludgeoned to death.

The men returned from the basement without Murray, his wife told officers and asked them where the couple’s money and jewelry were. They bound her wrists and ankles with duct tape and punched her “in the face” when she tried to scream, the prosecutor said.

According to online records, Hernandez is currently being held at the Caddo County Jail in Shreveport, Louisiana, as he awaits extradition to Michigan. It is unclear whether he has a lawyer.

Murray’s grandson, also named Hussein Murray, said in a statement to HuffPost that his grandfather had a “heart of gold” and “treated everyone around him with kindness and compassion.”

“He left a lasting impact on our family and community and I am more than proud to call him my grandfather,” said the younger Murray. “We are heartbroken at the news of his death, but it will connect our family with the determination he instilled in us by being the man he was.”

Hussein Murray told HuffPost that his grandmother was “one of the strongest people I have ever known.”

After the house break-in on Friday DTE issued a statement They are asking residents to check the photo ID of anyone who comes to their home claiming to be a utility employee.

Murray grew up in Lebanon before immigrating to the United States and owned the Gold and Glitter jewelry store in Detroit.

Gold and Glitter described Murray as a “pillar of strength” in an interview. Instagram post on Monday.

“[He was a] “A great man who always lived by his principles, defended the oppressed and gave generously,” the store wrote.

Murray was also a “great cook” and gardener, his grandson said on Instagram.

“He always shared the fruits and vegetables he grew in his garden and I loved seeing his proud smile as he showed off what was grown that week.”

Murray’s funeral was scheduled for Monday afternoon said the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn. A memorial service will be held at the mosque on October 20.

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