Dr. Devon Hoover murder suspect arraigned on numerous felony charges
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The man accused of murdering Dr. Devon Hoover inside his Detroit home last year faced a judge for arraignment Thursday.
Desmond Burks, 34, is charged with fist-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, larceny over $20,000, felon in possession of a firearm, and three counts of felony firearm for the April 2023 murder of Hoover at his Boston Edison home.
A plea of not guilty was entered for Burks, and he was remanded to the Wayne County Jail.
Desmond Burks during his arraignment on Aug. 8, 2024
Hoover, 53, was found shot to death and wrapped in a bloody carpet in the attic of his home on April 23, 2023, a day after his Range Rover was parked outside another Detroit home.
Police went to Hoover's house after the vehicle was found, but no one answered. They returned the next day and found his body, face down, wearing only socks, after his family requested a welfare check because he missed a trip to visit his dying mother in Indiana.
"Dr. Hoover had approximately 4,000 communications with a number attributed to Desmond Burks," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said during a news conference on Wednesday. "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."
Desmond Burks (left) and Devon Hoover
Worthy laid out the sheer amount of evidence that led to Burks finally being charged with Hoover's murder. This included interviews with nearly 90 witnesses, more than 300 pieces of evidence, 134 search warrants, and hours worth of video footage from security cameras and police body cameras. She said more than 70 law enforcement officers helped with cracking this case.
Burks is also facing murder charges stemming from an April 2024 road rage incident that left a 67-year-old Dearborn man named Reda Saleh dead. Worthy said this case was not connected to the investigation into Hoover's murder.
Burks will be back in court for a probable cause conference on Aug. 15.