Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Beloved Detroit Doctor: Reports

DETROIT — A man accused of killing a well-known Detroit neurosurgeon pleaded guilty Wednesday, according to reports.

Desmond Burks, 35, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Devon Hoover, who was shot to death inside his Boston-Edison neighborhood home on April 23, 2023, according to police.

Burks also pleaded guilty to a separate manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal road rage incident that happened in Dearborn in 2024.

He will be sentenced on Feb. 20.

Burks had faced eight counts, including first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder. Prosecutors did not reveal a motive for the shooting, but did say Hoover and Burks were involved in an intimate relationship at the time of the shooting.

Officers found Hoover's body was found wrapped in a sheet with multiple gunshot wounds to the head in the attic of his home, according to police.

An autopsy showed Hoover was first shot behind his right ear and then in the back of his head, before he was dragged in a sheet and stuffed in the crawlspace, where officers later found the body, according to the Wayne County Medical Examiner.

Police said there were no signs of forced entry into the home, leading investigators to believe Hoover knew the killer.

Hoover was a certified neurosurgeon at Ascension St. John and specialized in neck and back disorders.

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