Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon

DETROIT (AP) — Authorities filed charges Wednesday in the 2023 homicide of a beloved Detroit doctor whose body was found wrapped in carpet and stuffed in an attic crawl space at his home in a historic neighborhood.

Dr. Devon Hoover, a neurosurgeon, had an intimate relationship with Desmond Burks, who was charged with first-degree murder, larceny and other crimes, prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

Burks, 34, has been in custody since May in an unrelated case. He’s charged with second-degree murder in a road rage confrontation.

There was no immediate response to messages seeking comment from Burks’ attorney. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

The nature of Hoover’s death 16 months ago shocked his patients and others in the Detroit-area medical community who described him as a skilled, compassionate caregiver. Some patients publicly shared photos taken with him after surgeries.

“The loss of Dr. Hoover remains a tragedy that has left a void in our community,” police Chief James White said Wednesday.

Hoover, 53, was found shot in the back of the head and stuffed in a third-floor crawl space. Police went to his home in the city’s Boston-Edison neighborhood after family in Indiana said he hadn’t visited his dying mother, Worthy said.

She said Hoover’s phone records showed thousands of communications with Burks.

“Almost immediately following Dr. Hoover’s murder, multiple fraudulent financial transactions were made from his various financial accounts,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Worthy declined to publicly disclose a motive for Hoover’s death. She described the investigation as a “massive undertaking” that involved five states, two other countries, luxury watches, the doctor’s Range Rover and terabytes of digital data.

Burks spent nearly nine years in prison after a 2011 arson conviction, records show. He was discharged from parole supervision in 2022.

___

Follow Ed White on X at https://twitter.com/edwritez.