PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — The widow of the jewelry store owner killed last year in his Rochester Hills home provided emotional testimony in Oakland County Circuit Court Wednesday about the home invasion that left her husband dead and herself injured.
The two suspects allegedly posed as DTE utility workers to gain entry to their home.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report below:
Linda Murray testified about the events of Oct. 11, 2024, when her 73-year-old husband, Hussein "Sam" Murray, was killed inside their home.
"I was screaming and Hernandez hits me in the face to cover my mouth," Linda Murray testified when asked about her reaction to seeing blood at the scene.
Joshua Zuazo and Carlos Hernandez are accused of posing as DTE Energy workers who initially visited the Murray home on Oct. 10, 2024, claiming they needed to check for a gas leak. The family turned them away due to the late hour, but prosecutors say the men returned the following morning.
According to testimony, the suspects allegedly took Sam Murray to the basement, where they tied him up and killed him. Linda Murray was upstairs making breakfast when the men came upstairs demanding jewelry and cash.
Previous coverage: Court records detail how Rochester Hills murder suspects were caught
"Hernandez is binding my hands and my ankles together with duct tape," Linda Murray testified when asked what happened while defendant Zuazo was allegedly upstairs.
Prosecutors presented crime scene photos Wednesday, showing the ransacked home and body camera footage of deputies arriving at the scene. The video captured the moment officers freed Linda Murray's hands and later discovered Sam Murray's body.
"What you see is Sam is on the ground, it's a horrible scene, brutal scene, very bloody scene," Assistant Prosecutor John Pietrofesa said during the proceedings.
Both Hernandez and Zuazo are charged with first-degree murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment. Hernandez's attorney claims his client never intended to kill Murray, while Zuazo's attorney maintains his client was wrongly identified and was not present at the scene.
In an unusual legal arrangement, the two defendants are being tried simultaneously but with separate juries that were selected earlier this week.
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