Police finally arrest “sexual partner” suspected in gay doctor’s “grisly” 2023 murder

Police in Detroit, Michigan, recently arrested 34-year-old Desmond Burks as a suspect in the April 2023 murder of 53-year-old neurosurgeon Devon Hoover. Police claim Burks and Hoover had previously had an “intimate relationship” and that Burks stole from Hoover’s financial accounts after his murder.

In April 2023, Hoover was shot twice in the head. His unclothed body was wrapped in a sheet and hidden in an attic crawl space in his $2.5 million mansion, The Daily Beast reported in an article calling the slaying “grisly.”

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The police investigation began when Hoover’s SUV, containing traces of his blood, was found five miles away from his home. When officers visited his home, they found its driveway gate open and noticed blood on the side of his back door. After breaking into his mansion, officers discovered Hoover’s body, WDIV-TV reported.

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“He was face-down,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy told the aforementioned TV news station. “He was only wearing socks. He was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.”

Hoover’s cell phone, wallet, money, credit cards, and watch were all missing from his home. New charges began appearing on his bank accounts days after his murder, police said.

Cell phone records later revealed that Hoover had exchanged about 4,000 text messages with a phone number connected to Burks. Hoover’s SUV had been discovered near Burks’ west side residence, and—on the day of Hoover’s murder—Burks’ cell phone had been traced to Hoover’s mansion, never visiting again after the murder, Worthy said.

“The text messages established that Desmond Burks and Dr. Hoover were in an intimate relationship with one another, and that, on occasion, Desmond Burks would charge Dr. Hoover for these sexual services,” Worthy said.

Burks now faces eight criminal charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder,
larceny of over $20,000, the use of a computer to commit a crime, prohibited possession of a firearm by a felon, and three second-offense felony firearm violations. He is being held at the Wayne County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The investigation leading to Burks’s arrest reportedly spanned five states—California, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas—as well as three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Approximately 71 officers at the local, state, and federal levels worked on the case, interviewing at least 87 witnesses, analyzing 77 pieces of camera evidence, and examining 300 pieces of evidence obtained in 134 searches. Worthy’s office developed a 181-page report on the investigation’s findings.

“We feel very comfortable, extremely comfortable, at this point in time that we can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt,” Worthy said.

Hoover was reportedly beloved by many and was known for offering free surgeries to patients who couldn’t afford them. He was also known locally for hosting various events at his mansion.

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