(WXYZ) — Two suspects in the murder of a Rochester Hills man are now in custody.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office says Carlos Hernandez, 37, and an accomplice who has not yet been named, posed as DTE workers to gain entry to a home on Newcastle Dr. last week. Investigators say after the two men got inside, they tied up a woman and led her husband to a basement while staging a robbery.
The 72-year-old man who has been identified as Hussein "Sam" Murray was killed during the incident. He was found Friday afternoon in the basement of the home.
"How can you describe it? It’s been like hell. The way he went, the way he died, that’s not right for anybody to go," said Zaher Murray who is the first cousin of victim.
Zaher says he and Sam started in the Jewelry business together more than 30 years ago opening a shop in Hamtramck. The two later parted ways, buying their own individual jewelry stores but remaining close, talking to each other every day.
"We’re all like brothers, he’s not just my cousin. He’s my brother. He’s my friend, he’s everything," Zaher said. "He was a wonderful person. He loved gatherings. He loved family. He loved to talk. He loved to laugh. He loved stories and whoever sat around him it was only Sam talking and that’s the kind of person he was. He just loved life."
Zaher says it has been devastating for the entire family to receive the news that he was brutally beaten to death in his own home.
"I want (the suspects) to know you didn’t have to kill him like that. If the money was what you wanted, you could have just tied him up and not just beat him to death and take what you want to take," said Zaher. "It could be replaced. We can all replace it but we can’t replace him. You took the main… you took a flower from us and it’s never going to be returned."
FULL INTERVIEW BELOW: Family shares memories of Rochester Hills man killed by DTE imposters
After working with law enforcement state to state, 37-year-old Carlos Hernandez, the man seen on ring doorbell video trying to enter the home Friday, was taken into custody in Shreveport, Louisiana. Law enforcement says Hernandez had several family members inside the car at the time of his arrest.
"We were able to locate that vehicle on I-49 in Caddo Parrish. We had two deputies that made a felony traffic stop and identified the driver and he was the person that was indicated to be wanted out of Detroit," said Sheriff Henry Whitehorn with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office in Shreveport. "All indications he was fleeing from Michigan, no contact in our state."
Monday night, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office tracked down the second suspect in Plymouth Township. They say tips from the public played an integral role.
'We got some information about an individual, started looking into places he may be, where he may live, who he may know and visit, etc. Ultimately our surveillance was able to find that individual," said Sheriff Mike Bouchard of the police work that went into apprehending the suspects.
While the arrests bring about some relief to community members on edge, the Murray family says its doesn't even begin to replace what they lost.
"I I could talk to (Sam), I’d want him to know that we’re here still. We’ll keep his name alive. We’ll keep his business alive. They took Sam but they’re not going to take him from our heart," said Zaher.
A memorial service was held for Sam Monday.
Hernandez attended a jail clearance hearing Monday. He waived extradition. He is expected to be brought back to Michigan in the coming days. It's unclear when he and the second suspect will receive official charges or face a judge in Oakland Co. for an arraignment.
