The wife of one of two men convicted in the brutal murder of a beloved Hamtramck jeweler in the basement of his Rochester Hills home was sentenced to prison for her role in the incident in Oakland County Circuit Court.
Amanda Ileana Hernandez, 34, of Lincoln Park, pleaded no contest in July to conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion, conspiracy to commit false personation of public utility worker and accessory after the fact to a felony, all felonies, for her role in the October 2024 robbery and slaying of Hussein "Sam" Murray, 72.
She was sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 12, to 57 months to 20 years in prison on conspiracy to commit first-degree home invasion; 1-5 years on accessory after the fact to a felony, and 1-2 years on conspiracy to commit false
personation of a public utility worker, according to online court records and the spokesman for the county prosecutor's office.
Hernandez received 197 days credit for time served in the county jail. She is to have no contact with the victim, the victim's family, her husband or the other man convicted in the case, according to court records.
Her attorney, Scott Kozak, declined comment after the sentencing.
Hernandez's husband, Carlos Hernandez, 39, and Joshua Zuazo, 41, were accused of posing as DTE workers checking for a gas leak and entering Murray's home with the intent to steal. They were convicted of killing Murray and tying up his wife, who did not know her husband was fatally assaulted in the basement.
Both men are serving sentences of life without parole in state prison after they were convicted by separate juries of first-degree felony murder and unlawful imprisonment in October 2025.
In January of this year, Amanda Hernandez was charged for her role in planning and concealing the crime. Text messages showed she was involved in preparing for the home invasion, the prosecutor's office said, with the hope of using the stolen money to buy a home.
Prosecutor Karen McDonald said her office was committed to pursuing justice against everyone involved in the crime.
"Amanda Hernandez's plea does not involve a sentencing agreement from our office," McDonald said when Hernandez pleaded. "Her plotting ultimately led to Sam Murray's death. She will be held accountable for her actions, which will forever affect the Murray family."
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wife of fake DTE worker convicted in jeweler's slaying is sentenced
