Authorities have charged a man involved in an “intimate relationship” with a Michigan neurosurgeon in connection with the doctor’s murder.
Prosecutors revealed on Wednesday that Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, was discovered shot dead in his Detroit residence on 23 April 2023. He had been shot twice in the head, and his body was found in the third-floor attic crawl space, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
NEW: Man already charged with second-degree murder is now facing charges for the murder of his lover, Dr. Devon Hoover
Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, was found dead with two g*nshot wounds to the head on April 23, 2023
Desmond Burks, 34, is accused of killing Dr. Hoover and stealing… pic.twitter.com/yRLxlMs583
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) August 7, 2024
Worthy stated that Hoover was found wearing only socks and wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.
Police conducted a well-being check at Hoover’s home after the doctor’s family became concerned when he failed to visit his dying mother in Indiana.
Cellphone records indicated that Hoover exchanged approximately 4,000 text messages with a man named Desmond Burks, who had an “intimate relationship” with Hoover, Worthy disclosed during a news conference on Wednesday.
Worthy added that Burks occasionally charged Hoover for sexual services.
On the day of the murder, Hoover’s phone moved from his home to Burks’ area, back to Hoover’s home, and then returned to Burks’ vicinity, Worthy noted.
Following the murder, several items including Hoover’s phone, wallet, and two designer watches worth $6,000 and $7,500 were missing from his home. Worthy mentioned that multiple fraudulent financial transactions were also made from Hoover’s bank accounts. Hoover had purchased one of the watches a day before his death.
Physical evidence directly linked Hoover’s property to Burks on the day of the homicide, according to Worthy.
Burks, 34, now faces charges including first-degree premeditated murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and larceny of over $20,000. Worthy stated that Burks will be arraigned on Thursday.
Additionally, Burks faces a second-degree murder charge in an unrelated deadly road rage incident. In May, after a man’s car bumped into Burks’ car, Burks allegedly punched the man, leaving him lying in the street, Worthy said.