Dr. Devon Hoover murder: Trial to begin after well-known neurosurgeon found dead in Detroit home
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Nearly three years after well-known Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover was found dead in his home, the man accused of killing him is set to face a jury.
Desmond Burks has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Monday before his trial starts Wednesday in Detroit's Third Circuit Court.
Burks is facing numerous felony charges, including murder, larceny, using a computer to commit a crime, and felony firearms for the April 2023 death of Hoover.
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.
Community stunned at murder of popular neurosurgeon inside his Detroit mansion
A neurosurgeon, Hoover, 53, was beloved by his neighbors who said off-camera he was the anchor of the tightly-knit neighborhood.
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.
Dig deeper:
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.
"Dr. Hoover had approximately 4,000 communications with a number attributed to Desmond Burks," Worthy said when charges were announced against Burks. "The text messages established that Desmond Burks and Dr. Hoover were in an intimate relationship with one another and that, on occasion, Desmond Burks would charge Dr. Hoover for these sexual services."
The prosecutor noted that the nature of the relationship made some witnesses hesitant to come forward with information.
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.
Another murder:
Burks is also charged with murder for allegedly killing another man a year after Hoover was killed.
According to authorities, that murder happened during a road rage incident in Detroit.
A trial date has not been set for that case, but a pre-trial is set for the same time he's due in court for the Hoover murder pre-trial.
The Source: Previous reporting and court records were used.