Connect with us

Midwest

Manhunt in deadly suburban home invasion spans US after phony utility workers target upscale neighborhood

Published

on

Manhunt in deadly suburban home invasion spans US after phony utility workers target upscale neighborhood

Police are still looking for one of two men who impersonated a utility worker to gain entrance to a Michigan home on Friday, when a man was murdered and his wife tied up in their house.

One of the suspects, 37-year-old Carlos Jose Hernandez of Dearborn, was tracked down to Louisiana and charged with felony murder in the death of 72-year-old Hussein Murray and two counts of unlawful imprisonment, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post. The other man was still on the run Monday morning.

We don’t have as much information on him. He was more in the background in the video,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said, FOX 2 Detroit reported.

Police released Ring doorbell footage showing Hernandez and the other man wearing yellow florescent vests and masks outside Murray’s home in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills. The pair had a bogus work order on a clipboard and fake badges. 

DETROIT’S MOST WANTED, SOUGHT FOR SEX CRIMES, CAPTURED IN WASHINGTON STATE AFTER POLICE CHASE

Advertisement

Carlos Jose Hernandez, 37, was charged with felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment after he and an accomplice allegedly impersonated utility workers to get into a Michigan home. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)

“We’re DTE, we’re checking for gas leaks,” Hernandez can be heard saying, claiming to work with a local energy company. 

Murray signed the fake work order and led Hernandez and the other man into his basement, Oakland County prosecutors said. 

“Shortly thereafter, the defendant and the other male came up and asked the female victim where the money and jewelry were,” the prosecutor’s office said, NBC News reported. “They duct-taped her wrists and ankles. At one point, she started to scream, and the defendant hit her across the face.”

Murray’s wife was able to reach a phone and call 911, summoning police to the home. She was briefly hospitalized after her ordeal. 

Advertisement

MOB OF UP TO 30 LOOTERS, SOME ARMED, RANSACK FREIGHT TRAIN IN CHICAGO

Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana, by the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office on Saturday. (Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office)

Hernandez and the other man allegedly fled the scene with the woman’s phone and watch; Murray was found dead in the basement of the home with his wrists and ankles duct-taped.

The pair fled the scene in a white pickup truck with a DTE energy decal. Before successfully gaining access to the home at 10 a.m. Friday, the pair made an earlier attempt at the same time on Thursday, but were turned away. 

Police believe they targeted Murray due to prior knowledge of valuables or money they expected inside. The couple own a Detroit-area jewelry and pawn shop, prosecutors said.

BIZARRE MOMENTS CAPTURED ON RING CAMERA IN 2023

Advertisement

“That’s going to be a continuing part of our investigation, what put them on that door for that particular tragic moment,” Bouchard told NBC.

Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies in Shreveport, Louisiana, took Hernandez into custody on Saturday after spotting him traveling south on I-49 from Arkansas, the agency said. There is also a warrant for his arrest in Ohio in connection with an alleged armed robbery there, NBC News reported. The U.S. Marshals Service has also been involved in the case.

“This was a gruesome attack on an elderly couple in their home,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. “I have authorized the highest charge which carries a mandatory life without parole sentence for this brutal crime.”

Newcastle Drive

The deadly incident took place along Newcastle Drive in Rochester Hills. (Google Maps)

DTE Energy released a statement to warn residents against allowing imposters into their homes, saying the company can be called at 800-477-4747 to check the credentials of any workers. 

“If anyone arrives at your home or business saying they are from DTE, please ask to see a badge with photo ID. If the person refuses to show their badge, do not allow them inside,” the company said.

Advertisement

A manhunt was still underway Monday for the accomplice in the Rochester Hills attack.

“One way or another we will find you,” the sheriff wrote in the agency’s Facebook post. 

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

South Dakota

Jackley appears in North Dakota court for DACA lawsuit

Published

on

Jackley appears in North Dakota court for DACA lawsuit


BISMARK, N.D. (Dakota News Now) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley argued in federal court on Tuesday against a proposed DACA rule regarding healthcare.

The attorney generals for 19 states, including Jackley, filed a lawsuit in August against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over the final rule that would make Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA recipients, eligible for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

“The burdens fall on the States when Washington fails to address illegal immigration and secure our Southern Border,” said Jackley in a statement after the court arguments. “It has affected the public health and safety with the flow of meth and fentanyl from the Southern Border into our States. The financial burden of this proposed DACA rule for South Dakota families is real, ranging between $26 million to $35 million per year.”

The final rule is scheduled to go into effect on November 1 and the states asked presiding judge Daniel Traynor for a stay, which he took under advisement.

Advertisement

The U.S. argued the states have provided no evidence of the rule’s high cost to the states and taxpayers.

In addition to South Dakota, Kansas, and North Dakota, other Attorney Generals who joined this suit are from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Wisconsin

Wisconsin high school football computer rankings (10/14/2024)

Published

on

Wisconsin high school football computer rankings (10/14/2024)


Week 8 of the 2024 Wisconsin high school football season is in the books, and High School on SI has published its fourth computer rankings of the season in the state.

Taking over the No. 1 spot in the 11-man computer rankings this week are the undefeated Stratford Tigers, coming off an impressive 48-20 victory against a tough Amherst opponent Friday. Mount Horeb / Barneveld remained undefeated but has dropped to the No. 2 spot.

A quick look at the 8-man computer rankings shows undefeated Highland retaining the No. 1 position and a 6-1 Gilman team moving up to No. 2.

SBLive’s formula was created using its linear algebra-based ranking algorithm inspired by the Colley Bias-Free Ranking Method. Colley’s Method was created by Wes Colley, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He devised his algorithm to help address the subjectivity and controversy regarding BCS college football selections in the 1990s and early 2000s, using a method that used no subjective variables.

Advertisement
  • FAQ: SBLive High School Football Computer Rankings

Here are SBLive’s latest Wisconsin football computer rankings, as of Oct. 14, 2024:

WISCONSIN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COMPUTER RANKINGS

>> 11 MAN

>> 8 MAN

— Robin Erickson @sblivesports



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

‘Trump opens doors for us – the Democrats haven’t’: In Detroit, Harris faces a battle to win over young black men

Published

on

‘Trump opens doors for us – the Democrats haven’t’: In Detroit, Harris faces a battle to win over young black men


Barack Obama’s message to “the brothers” late last week was blunt.

“I’m here to speak some truths, if you don’t mind,” the former president told a group of black voters.

“My understanding based on reports I’m getting from campaigns and communities is that we have not yet seen the same kind of energy and turnout in all quarters as we saw when I was running. Now, I also want to say that that seems to be more pronounced with the brothers.”

US election latest: Harris makes admission about election race

Advertisement
Image:
Former president Barack Obama speaks to a group of black voters

It was a direct message to focus minds. It reflected increasing angst within the Democratic Party about the “black vote”.

It also hinted at an arrogance – to assume people would vote for Kamala Harris just because she is black.

Mr Obama’s anxiety was an echo of new polling which suggests Ms Harris is drawing the black male vote by a much smaller margin than he did back in 2012. In fact, every election since Mr Obama’s first win has seen a shrinking black Democratic vote.

Drill down on the latest data, and it’s alarming reading for the Harris campaign.

It is clear black men, particularly young men, are increasingly turning to Donald Trump.

Advertisement

It’s by no means a majority of the demographic – most still vote Democrat – but in an election where the margins are so tight, even a moderate shift in voter behaviour in key swing states could make all the difference.

So what’s the draw to Mr Trump? Why is a man whose rhetoric can be racist and whose dog whistles are so often to the out-and-out bigots now apparently attractive to a growing number of America’s black community?

I think three words help to provide the answer – economics, disappointment, and change.

Read more:
Demographic divides that will decide US election
Trump criticism of film ‘all the more reason’ to see it
Trump jokes about being shot

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Advertisement

‘It was my economy, not Trump’s!’

The pastor who believes Trump is the answer for America

In the northwestern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, this week I met Lorenzo Sewell.

In July, I’d watched from among the crowd as the 43-year-old pastor addressed the Republican Party Convention in Milwaukee.

With church-gospel oratory, he’d told the crowd back then that Mr Trump was the answer for America.

Advertisement

Now, in his downtrodden community, he was giving me the tour which he said explains the shifting politics.

Lorenzo Sewell
Image:
Lorenzo Sewell

“This street tells the biggest story…” the pastor told me.

We walked down Grand River Avenue. And there wasn’t much grand about it, at least not along this part. North of gentrified downtown is uptown – forgotten.

“What you’ll see down Grand River is… I mean it’s so bad, it’s completely desolate. All black people. And then as soon as you get downtown, the racial dynamics change,” Mr Sewell said.

Pastor praised Trump for visiting ‘the hood’

The downtown area of Michigan’s largest city has seen massive regeneration over the past decade. It looks great but is unaffordable now for most who once lived here. And beyond downtown, many suburbs are crumbling and struggling.

Advertisement

“President Trump says Detroit needs help,” the pastor said. “This is it.”

Inside his church, Mr Sewell showed me the spot where he prayed with Mr Trump.

The former president paid a visit to the community back in June. In a video of the moment, which quickly went viral, the pastor praised Mr Trump for visiting “the hood”.

“President Trump, I am so humbled that you would be here,” he said back then in a crowded church. “President Obama never came to the hood so to speak… President Biden never came to the hood. So thank you.”

Lorenzo Sewell (right) praises Donald Trump for visiting 'the hood'
Image:
Lorenzo Sewell (right) praises Donald Trump for visiting ‘the hood’

‘Life was better under President Trump’

Whether Mr Trump’s visit was opportunistic or sincere, it was unquestionably savvy and exposed the Democrats in a city they’ve run for decades. It sucked in the pastor. And the church was packed.

Advertisement

“He’s not a politician. I understand he may not be as polished as we want him to be, but just life was better under President Trump. Everybody knows it,” he said.

“Yeah, he has flaws, but to any black person out there who would say ‘Trump’s a racist, Trump’s a mean person’, I met him personally. I shook hands with him. I spent time with him.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Who is winning the swing states?

‘We need change’

Advertisement

“Trump opens doors for us. The Democrats haven’t,” he added, scathing of Mr Obama’s “brothers” comments.

“It’s almost like they want to seduce us with Obama. Do they think we don’t have political prowess? We may be poor and black, but that doesn’t mean we’re stupid,” he told me.

I suggested maybe he’s been hoodwinked by Mr Trump, who hardly oozes Christian values, whose rhetoric is so often laced with racism, and who has woefully underdelivered on policy pledges before.

“The reality is he is a businessman, and you build a relationship with him,” he replied. “I know in this community people are hurting. We have been under democratic rule for six decades. We need change. I know that under Trump, gas was cheaper. My bills were cheaper.”

‘Do they want to vote for the vice president or stay home?’

Advertisement

Further down Grand River Avenue, as uptown becomes downtown, the gentrification begins to shine through. In the shadows of the glitzy office buildings, I joined a gathering of Democratic Party faithful.

“Black Men For Harris” is the tag. The evening event, at a local sports bar, was billed as a show of support for Ms Harris.

Jeff Johnson
Image:
Jeff Johnson

“I think most black men in America are determining not, do they want to vote for Kamala or Trump? It’s do they want to vote for the vice president or stay home?” voter Jeff Johnson told me.

Among the small crowd, former state senator Marshall Bullock said: “It’s imperative that we win Michigan at all costs. And there’s really only one choice: Vice President Harris is the candidate of decency, integrity, and for the people.”

Former state senator Marshall Bullock
Image:
Former state senator Marshall Bullock

The problem is Ms Harris may be all of those things, but many people are voting on the economy, on lower taxes and with an eye on their back pocket. They may like the values of decency and integrity, but maybe they’re not going to pay for them.

“Life was cheaper, better under Trump.” That’s the echo I hear across swathes of America. A misguided nostalgia? Maybe. A concern for Ms Harris? For sure.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending