A man arrested in May after he was accused of fatally punching a 67-year-old driver in a road rage incident has now been charged in the murder of a beloved Detroit neurosurgeon found dead in his home last year.
Desmond Burks, 34, was charged this week with first-degree murder, felony murder, larceny and other crimes in the April 2023 shooting of Dr. Devon Hoover.
Authorities discovered Hoover’s body in the crawl space of his home after a relative called police and requested a welfare check when he failed to arrive in Indiana to see his dying mother, officials said. The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said Hoover was shot multiple times in the head and ruled his death a homicide.
The murder rocked the community, and many people including former patients, family members and friends expressed their shock and grief. A Facebook page titled “ Justice for Dr. Devon Hoover” was inundated with memories of the doctor. But as months turned into a year with no arrests, many of the posts began to express the community’s frustration.
Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a news conference Wednesday that the case was complicated “by the fact that many witnesses were extremely reluctant to come forward to share sensitive and personal information.” She said investigators discovered about 4,000 text messages between Burks and Hoover and they revealed the two had been in an “intimate relationship.”
Worthy said Burks would “charge Dr. Hoover for these sexual services” but declined to provide further information.
Hoover was only wearing socks and his body was wrapped in a “blood-soaked” carpet when authorities found him at his home. His cellphone, wallet, money, credit cards and designer watches were missing, Worthy said at the news conference.
Almost immediately following his murder, multiple fraudulent transactions were made from Hoover’s bank accounts, the prosecutor said.
Worthy said “numerous pieces” of evidence placed Hoover’s cellphone in the same location as Burks. Surveillance video from the day of the murder also captured Burks parking Hoover’s Range Rover. The doctor’s designer watches were found at residences connected to Burks, she said.
Police Chief James E. White said Hoover’s death is a “tragedy that has left a void in our community.”
“Thank you to the family, friends and loved ones of Dr. Devon Hoover for their trust and patience as our officers carried out this investigation,” he said in a statement.
Worthy told reporters that it “was a lot of work” to get to the point where they felt comfortable enough to charge Burks.
A motive remains unclear.
When authorities charged Burks in Hoover’s death, he had already been in jail on a second-degree murder charge in the death of Reda Saleh. Police said Saleh’s vehicle hit the back of Burks’ car on April 17. Both men exited their vehicles and got into a verbal altercation.
During the argument, Burks allegedly punched Saleh, “leaving him lying in the street before fleeing the scene,” police said. Saleh, 67, was found unconscious suffering from trauma to his head, according to Worthy. He died from his injuries on May 11.
Burks is being held on a $1 million bond. Attorney information was not available for him.
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