An Oakland County judge has denied a request from one of two accused killers of a businessman from Rochester Hills who sought a trial separate from his co-defendant.

At a court hearing Monday, Oakland County Circuit Judge Yasmine Poles ruled that Carlos Hernandez is to be tried alongside Joshua Zuazo for the murder of Hussein Murray. Hernandez’s attorney filed the motion for a separate trial earlier this month.

Following Poles’ ruling, court records show, a notice was filed to appoint an appellate lawyer.

Murray, 72, was found dead Oct. 11, 2024 in the basement of his Rochester Hills home on Newcastle Street. Investigators say Hernandez and Zuazo posed as DTE workers to get inside the house, then killed Murray and restrained his wife, Linda Murray, with duct tape. Linda Murray subsequently managed to free herself and call 911; she initially told deputies she believed her husband had been kidnapped. Murray’s jaw and neck bones had been broken, and he had cuts and bruises on his head, according to testimony from an Oakland County medical examiner at a preliminary exam in December.

Murray was the owner of Gold and Glitter Jewelry in Hamtramck. Investigators have said it’s believed Murray was targeted in connection with his business.

Hernandez and Zuazo, both from Wayne County, are charged with homicide-felony murder and two counts of unlawful imprisonment.

Hernandez, 38, was arrested in Louisiana the day after the slaying and extradited to Oakland County. Zuazo, 39, was arrested Oct. 14, 2024 in Plymouth Township. Both are held in the Oakland County Jail, denied bond.