DETROIT (FOX 2) - A man who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the deaths of two men, including the high-profile murder of Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover, learned his sentence Friday.
Desmond Burks will spend 35-60 years in prison for killing Hoover and Reda Saleh.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, larceny of $20,000 or more, using a computer to commit a crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony firearm stemming from the Hoover murder, and manslaughter for Saleh's death.
Authorities have alleged that Burks and Hoover were in a sexual relationship that ended with the surgeon being killed, while Saleh was killed during a road rage incident in Detroit a year after Hoover's death.
Desmond Burks
During his sentencing, Burks said that he didn't mean to kill Saleh.
"It was a slap, not an assault," Burks said. "Sorry about what happened."
He also claimed that while he pleaded guilty to murdering Burks, he did not commit the crime.
"I'd like to say, I'm not a murderer. I'm not a killer. I'm just a regular person, like everybody in this room. I'm not gay," Burks said. "The doctor stuff, just because I took the plea, don’t mean I did it. I'm tired of them saying I'm some gay killer, or a gay person and a gang member in the same breath."
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Man sentenced to prison for killing Dr. Devon Hoover
The man who pleaded guilty to murdering Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover learned his prison sentence Friday. Desmond Burks also pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge stemming from another case.
The backstory:
Hoover, 53, was found shot to death and wrapped in a bloody carpet in the attic of his home in the city's Boston-Edison neighborhood on April 23, 2023, a day after his Range Rover was parked outside another Detroit home.
Police went to Hoover's house after the vehicle was found, but no one answered. They returned the next day and found his body, face down, wearing only socks, after his family requested a welfare check because he missed a trip to visit his dying mother in Indiana.
Dr. Devon Hoover murder: Massive amount of evidence leads to charges against Detroit man
A man accused of murdering well-known Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover is now facing charges after an investigation that has been ongoing for more than a year.
The discovery spurred an investigation that lasted more than a year as authorities worked to gather enough evidence to charge Burks. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Burks was the original person of interest. He was questioned and released, initially, because they needed more evidence to advance the case.
Hoover's designer watches and credit cards were also missing after the crime, authorities said.
Worthy said that a massive amount of evidence was part of the investigation that spanned five states – Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, and California – and three countries – the U.S., France, and England, though she declined to say how those other locations were tied to the case.
The Source: FOX 2 attended Burks' sentencing.
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