Man Who Allegedly Had Intimate Relationship With Neurosurgeon Charged With His Murder

A Michigan man who was in an alleged intimate relationship with a Detroit neurosurgeon was charged with murder more than a year after the surgeon was found fatally shot in his own home, authorities said.

Desmond Burks, 34, was charged with offenses including premeditated murder, felony murder and larceny in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover, 53 . Prosecutors accused Burks of killing the neurosurgeon last year and robbing him of thousands of dollars along with his luxury watches, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday .

The investigation began on April 22, 2023, when Detroit police received a call about a parking violation. Officers found Hoover’s white Land Rover blocking a driveway, and inside the vehicle, they discovered what appeared to be blood.

Detectives investigating the car went to Hoover’s home that evening to find the driveway gate wide open. No one responded when detectives knocked on the front and back doors.

The next day, police received a call from Hoover’s family requesting a well-being check at his home after he did not show up to visit his mother in Indiana as planned, according to prosecutors.

Officers returned to Hoover’s home and noticed what they believed to be blood at the back entrance, prosecutors said, and they went inside.

Hoover was found dead in the attic crawl space, wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet, according to prosecutors. At the time of discovery, police noted that the doctor had gunshot wounds to his head and was only wearing socks.

The medical examiner’s office determined that Hoover was shot twice in the back of the head, and ruled his manner of death a homicide.

Detectives learned that Hoover’s cellphone, wallet, money, credit cards and designer watches were missing from his home, according to prosecutors. Multiple fraudulent financial transactions were also made from his bank accounts in the days following his death.

Forensic analysis of Hoover’s phone records revealed text messages between him and Burks indicating that the two were in an intimate relationship, according to prosecutors. Phone records also allegedly showed that Hoover’s phone was taken to Burks’ neighborhood on the day he was killed, but the device was never taken back to Hoover’s house.

Burks’ home was near where Hoover’s car was found parked, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said detectives also found surveillance footage that showed Burks parking Hoover’s car in the driveway and limping away with a backpack. Detectives who searched Burks’ home allegedly found one of Hoover’s Cartier watches there.

Another one of Hoover’s watches was found in April 2024 at a separate location connected to Burks, prosecutors said.

Burks was eventually arrested on May 15, 2024, following an unrelated road rage incident that allegedly occurred a few weeks before. In that incident, authorities alleged that Burks punched a 67-year-old man and left him unresponsive on the ground, the Detroit Free Press reported . The man died, and Burks was charged with second-degree murder.

At the time of Burks’ arrest, he was under investigation for Hoover’s killing, but prosecutors said the case was “nowhere near ready,” according to the Free Press .

An attorney for Burks did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on Thursday. Burks is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 15.

In a statement shared with the Free Press, Hoover’s family said they felt relief that Burks was charged with his murder.

“He was an exceptional man — a doctor, brother, son, uncle, and friend who invested in our lives with unwavering kindness and generosity,” the statement read. “Although nothing will ever reverse our loss, we are grateful that someone will be held accountable for Devon’s death. We continue to rest in faith that God’s goodness will prevail over this tragedy.”