Convicted felon shot neurosurgeon twice in head, wrapped body in 'blood-soaked carpet' in attic crawl space, and went on to kill again: Prosecutors

Left inset: Dr. Devon Hoover (WDIV). Right inset: Desmond Burks (Wayne County Jail). Main: Hoover’s Boston-Edison home (WDIV).

After authorities in Detroit, Michigan, incorrectly predicted that a suspect in the murder of a well-known neurosurgeon could be publicly identified by the time snow fell last winter, a 34-year-old convicted felon facing charges in an unrelated road rage murder case from May has now also been accused of shooting Dr. Devon Hoover, 53, twice in the head and wrapping his body in a “blood-soaked carpet” at the victim’s Boston-Edison home in April 2023.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, prosecutors in her office, Detroit Police Chief James White, and officers under his command all appeared at a press conference to announce that the extensive probe, spanning Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, and California — even England and France — and thousands of text messages led them to the conclusion that Desmond Burks was in an “intimate relationship” with Hoover and that Burks would “on occasion charge Dr. Hoover for these services.”

Burks is charged with premeditated first-degree murder, felony murder, felon in possession of a firearm, larceny of over $20,000, and use of a computer to commit a crime in the Hoover case, but he’s separately accused of second-degree murder in the road rage killing of Reda Saleh, a 67-year-old man who was punched in the head in April and died a month later .

Michigan Department of Corrections records say that Burks was a convicted arsonist let out of prison during the summer of 2022.

Several months later, prosecutors now allege, Burks murdered Hoover and stuffed the neurosurgeon’s body in an attic crawl space at the victim’s mansion. Authorities also confirmed that Burks was the unnamed person of interest in the case who was taken into custody in May 2023 and then released.

Chief White previously said that although he was confident that the person of interest “knows something about” the murder of Hoover, he was let go “following prosecutorial review.”

The discovery of Hoover’s body was made on April 23, 2023, after cops received a call from a member of Hoover’s family, when the board certified neurosurgeon unexpectedly did not return home to Indiana to see his dying mother Lauretta, who passed away four days after his murder.

During the press conference, Worthy revealed that the day prior to the grisly discovery, Hoover’s Range Rover was found several miles away from his home blocking a driveway — and there was blood inside the vehicle. After the vehicle was towed from the site near Burks’ residence, it was linked back to Hoover, WDIV reported .

Back at the mansion crime scene, Worthy said, Hoover was found “face-down” in the attic crawl space “only wearing socks” and “wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.”

The prosecutor said that the victim’s belongings — including expensive watches, a phone and wallet — were stolen and that the evidence showed fraudulent bank account activity in the days after the murder.

Tragically, Hoover was killed in a home he “loved,” according to his obituary . The doctor bought the mansion in 2008 and “had been steadily transforming it room by room with period decor and carefully selected antiques.”

“He was essentially the curator of his own museum, which he loved sharing with friends, family, and visitors,” the obit said.

In addition to being a renowned neurosurgeon, Hoover was also an uncle to “many” nieces and nephews. He was one of seven children and had six sisters.

A since-removed “ find a doctor” page for Hoover on Ascension Michigan’s website said he was a “board certified neurosurgeon and has a special interest in the treatment of neck and back disorders.”

“He completed his medical training at Indiana University School of Medicine, and his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,” the brief biography said. “He also completed fellowships, one in peripheral nerve surgery at Louisiana State University School of Medicine with Dr. David Kline, and one in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Alexa Canady.”

The doctor also noted that he was highly respected among his peers, citing Hour Detroit magazine’s 2008 “Top Docs” rankings.

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