MI - Neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, found fatally shot during welfare check, Detroit, Apr 2023

[ilovewings]

Family, friends of murdered Detroit doctor say they knew who the killer was all along

Last week Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced murder charges against 34-year-old Desmond Burks, naming Burks as the killer of Dr. Hoover.

www.clickondetroit.com

DETROIT – Some murders go unsolved. Some go cold for months, years. Some are never solved.

In the shocking case of Dr. Devon Hoover -- found with two gunshots to his head, his body wrapped up in a bloody carpet and stuffed into a cramped upper crawlspace in the doctor’s massive Boston Edison home -- we are told the investigators were given the name of the person who allegedly did it, as one person tells me “from the jump.”

Last week Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced murder charges against 34-year-old Desmond Burks, naming Burks as the killer of Dr. Hoover.

Worthy started by saying that the complex investigation that finally led to charges 16 months later spanned five states and two countries.

The report, she said, is 181 pages long. Hours of video were gathered and poured over. Cell phone data was extracted and analyzed...

Apparently this is a complicated case- Hopefully we will find out eventually why this case extended into five states and two countries!!

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Man charged in murder of well-known Detroit doctor appears in court

The man accused of killing a well-known Detroit neurosurgeon whose body was found wrapped in a carpet in his attic had his first court appearance Thursday.

www.clickondetroit.com

DETROIT – The man accused of killing a well-known Detroit neurosurgeon whose body was found wrapped in a carpet in his attic had his first court appearance Thursday.

Desmond Burks, 34, of Detroit, appeared virtually in front of Judge Kenneth King for a probable cause conference on Thursday morning, Aug. 15, 2024.

Burks sat hunched over in a chair as his defense attorney requested a competency examination.

King scheduled a review date for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 15, 2024, but it’s possible the examination could be done soon...

 

[LadyL]

Intimate partner. I bet this is the same guy they took into custody early on and then released.

yes according to this article:

Worthy confirmed that Burks was the person of interest who was taken into custody in this case on April 28, 2023, and released on May 2, 2023.

Everything we know after major update in mysterious murder of well-known Detroit doctor

Officials provided a major update Wednesday in the mysterious murder of a well-known Detroit neurosurgeon whose body was found wrapped in a carpet in his attic more than 15 months ago.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[LaborDayRN]

Bumping for Dr. Hoover.

 

[Cota332]

The accused & charged killer, Desmond Burks has been found to be competent to stand trial by The Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry this month. Burks' lawyer, Gabi Silver, is pursuing an independent psychiatric evaluation that will take place in February.

Burks is officially charged with :

"[...] first-degree murder, felony murder, larceny of over $20,000, using a computer to commit a crime, possession of a weapon by a felon and three counts of second-offense felony firearm."

LE says that Dr. Hoover maintained an 'intimate relationship' with Burks, and would occasionally pay Burks for sexual services.

In addition to killing Dr. Hoover, LE says that Burks stole approximately $30,000 and two watches worth more than $6,000 each from Hoover.
LE confirmed that Burks is the same individual that was initially arrested five days after Dr. Hoover's murder - and has been surveilled since then as the main suspect.

Burks also been in the Wayne County Jail since May due to an unrelated murder stemming from an apparent road rage incident.

 

[Lusitana]

Was he paid for sexual services or were they in a relationship (casual or serious) and, occasionally, Hoover would help him out financially? Because that's not the same thing.

 

[LaborDayRN]

@Cota332 Thank you for the update. I'm glad we're getting some information on Dr Hoover's murder. It's been crickets for so long.....

I hope his family has been kept in the loop to some extent by LE. I can't imagine what the year and a half without an update for the family would be like.

 

[Marysmith]

@Cota332 Thank you for the update. I'm glad we're getting some information on Dr Hoover's murder. It's been crickets for so long.....

I hope his family has been kept in the loop to some extent by LE. I can't imagine what the year and a half without an update for the family would be like.

Also it seems like the alleged killer was known to be a suspect the whole time... which would be so hard to have to deal with on another level, them not being charged, etc...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Man charged in well-known Detroit doctor’s murder to appear in court. Here’s everything we know

The man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor is scheduled to appear in court next week.

www.clickondetroit.com

DETROIT – The man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, was found dead at his home in the Boston-Edison Historic District on Sunday, April 23, 2023. He worked as a neurosurgeon at Ascension Hospital in Detroit at the time of his death...

 

[LaborDayRN]

Man charged in well-known Detroit doctor’s murder to appear in court. Here’s everything we know

The man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor is scheduled to appear in court next week.

www.clickondetroit.com

DETROIT – The man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, was found dead at his home in the Boston-Edison Historic District on Sunday, April 23, 2023. He worked as a neurosurgeon at Ascension Hospital in Detroit at the time of his death...

I hope he gets the "book" thrown at him. Does anyone know if this trial will be on any of the "court" youtubes?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Court case in well-known Detroit doctor’s murder expected to last most of this week

The man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor is due in court this week, and the hearing is expected to last for several days.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[Yemelyan]

I hope he gets the "book" thrown at him. Does anyone know if this trial will be on any of the "court" youtubes?

As to the bolded, I don't think so because the judge in this case made a ruling about what media could show. This was from the "Click on Detroit" article posted just above:

According to an order filed on June 9, 2025, by 36th District Court Judge Shawn K. Jacque, we cannot:

• Live stream the hearing
• Show or publish the faces of any witnesses
• Show or publish the names of any witnesses
• Play or publish the voices of any witnesses (unless their voices are concealed or disguised)

Earlier in that same article it talked about police saying that this case was much complicated by the fact that many of the witnesses were "extremely reluctant" to share personal info.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Full updates: Hearing for man accused of murdering well-known Detroit doctor begins

The preliminary examination for the man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor began Monday.

www.clickondetroit.com

 

[Sundog]

Full updates: Hearing for man accused of murdering well-known Detroit doctor begins

The preliminary examination for the man accused of murdering a well-known Detroit doctor began Monday.

www.clickondetroit.com

Thanks for posting these updates. If I am reading this correctly, this guy killed another person in a road rage situation a year or so after he killed the doctor. If he gets out of jail or prison, he'll kill again. He's a real danger to society.

Thinking of the good doctor's family today.

 

[MrsWatson]

Testimony: Man's lover helped get rid of evidence in Detroit neurosurgeon murder case

One of Desmond Burks' lovers said in court that Burks gave him a bag, and in it was slain Detroit neurosurgeon's surgical glasses and a 9mm handgun.

eu.freep.com

 

[Sundog]

Testimony: Man's lover helped get rid of evidence in Detroit neurosurgeon murder case

One of Desmond Burks' lovers said in court that Burks gave him a bag, and in it was slain Detroit neurosurgeon's surgical glasses and a 9mm handgun.

eu.freep.com

I assume that the defendant's friend has been given some kind of deal by the prosecution for his testimony. Otherwise, I assume he would be charged with accessory to murder after the fact for knowingly getting rid of evidence of the crime. If so, they must really need his testimony to convict the defendant.

 

[fsngruv]

I assume that the defendant's friend has been given some kind of deal by the prosecution for his testimony. Otherwise, I assume he would be charged with accessory to murder after the fact for knowingly getting rid of evidence of the crime. If so, they must really need his testimony to convict the defendant.

For sure! From this article Dr. Devon Hoover murder: Accused killer allegedly siphoned $21K from bank account | FOX 2 Detroit "Another of Burks’ sexual partners testified they were given immunity to testify about helping Burks after the murder."

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Investigators say Burks laundered money through Hoover’s cash App – ordering Cartier glasses with his credit card – stealing his wallet, phone, and watches.

Prosecutor: "And what did he say about that watch?"

Witness: "He said that's big money."

Prosecutor: "He said that’s big money?"

Witness: "A big money watch, yeah."

Prosecutor: "And was he showing it off?"

Witness: "Yes."

Prosecutor: "And did he say 'Big Money Des'?"

Witness: "Yes."

Dr. Devon Hoover murder: Testimony describes dumping murder weapon, 'Big Money Des'

Investigators say Desmond Burks laundered money through Hoover’s cash App – ordering Cartier glasses with his credit card – stealing his wallet, phone, and watches.

www.fox2detroit.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[MrsWatson]

https://eu.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2025/06/25/neurosurgeon-devon-hoover-murder-case-testimony/84359181007/

Burks had several lovers, prosecutors said, including Hoover, many of whom Burks met online where people look for sexual encounters. And because Burks didn't have a job — aside from selling pills and charging people for sex — or even a credit card, they'd give him money and they bought him food, clothes, phones and paid his bills. They'd give him rides, and provide him rental cars and hotel rooms. One of the lovers did his taxes. That same lover helped Burks hide a 9mm gun and surgical glasses with Hoover's name inscribed on them.