WAYNE COUNTY, MI - A judge has sentenced a man to decades in prison for the murder of a renowned neurosurgeon in his mansion and then killing another victim nearly a year later.
The suspect, 35-year-old Desmond Burks, will serve between 35 and 60 years in prison for the murders of Dr. Devon Hoover in 2023 and Reda Saleh a year later in Detroit, Law & Crime reported.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said that Burks pleaded guilty to several charges, including second-degree murder, larceny of more than $20,000, using a computer to commit a crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
As part of the agreement in the case of 53-year-old Hoover's death, the first-degree murder charge against Burks was dropped.
The defendant also pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of the 67-year-old Saleh.
He had been charged with second-degree murder in that case. Burks will serve 10 years to 15 years for that crime; those sentences will run concurrently.
During his sentencing, Burks smiled and waved for the cameras, and even rolled his eyes and scoffed at Hoover's sisters when they made victim impact statements.
"My name is Desmond Burks," he told the judge with a smile. "I'd like to say I'm not a murderer. I'm not a killer. I'm just a regular person just like everyone in this room ... I'm not a gang member. I love sports. I'm a people person ... Just because I took the plea don't mean I did it."
Circuit Court Judge Paul Cusick was not impressed. "Quite frankly, you are a murderer, sir," he said as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Burks and Hoover are believed to have known each other before the older man's death in April 2023. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the two knew each other well, having exchanged roughly 4,000 text messages.
"The text messages establish 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 was a convicted arsonist released from prison during the summer of 2022, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. Several months later, Burks murdered Hoover and stuffed the neurosurgeon's body in an attic crawl space at the victim's mansion in the historic Boston-Edison neighborhood of Detroit.
A member of Hoover's family called 911, asking law enforcement to conduct a welfare check at the home after Hoover had not returned home to Indiana to see his dying mother, Lauretta, who passed away four days after his murder.
Police responded to the house and discovered his body on April 23, 2023.
The day before the chilling discovery, Hoover's Range Rover was found several miles away from his home blocking a driveway, with blood inside the vehicle. Back at the crime scene, Hoover was "face down" in the attic crawl space, "only wearing socks" and "wrapped in blood-soaked carpet."
The medical examiner's office determined that he had been shot twice in the head. Burks was detained as a person of interest in May 2023, but he was later let go "following prosecutorial review," then-Detroit Police Chief James White said.
Authorities said that items belonging to Hoover, including expensive watches, a phone and a wallet, were stolen and that the evidence showed fraudulent bank account activity in the days after the murder.
About a year after killing Hoover, Burks encountered Saleh on a Detroit road.
On April 17, 2024, Burks got angry when Saleh bumped the back of his car, and after an argument, Burks reportedly punched Saleh in the head and left the scene.
The older man was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on May 11, 2024.
The suspect, 35-year-old Desmond Burks, will serve between 35 and 60 years in prison for the murders of Dr. Devon Hoover in 2023 and Reda Saleh a year later in Detroit, Law & Crime reported.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said that Burks pleaded guilty to several charges, including second-degree murder, larceny of more than $20,000, using a computer to commit a crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
As part of the agreement in the case of 53-year-old Hoover's death, the first-degree murder charge against Burks was dropped.
The defendant also pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of the 67-year-old Saleh.
He had been charged with second-degree murder in that case. Burks will serve 10 years to 15 years for that crime; those sentences will run concurrently.
During his sentencing, Burks smiled and waved for the cameras, and even rolled his eyes and scoffed at Hoover's sisters when they made victim impact statements.
"My name is Desmond Burks," he told the judge with a smile. "I'd like to say I'm not a murderer. I'm not a killer. I'm just a regular person just like everyone in this room ... I'm not a gang member. I love sports. I'm a people person ... Just because I took the plea don't mean I did it."
Circuit Court Judge Paul Cusick was not impressed. "Quite frankly, you are a murderer, sir," he said as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Burks and Hoover are believed to have known each other before the older man's death in April 2023. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the two knew each other well, having exchanged roughly 4,000 text messages.
"The text messages establish 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 was a convicted arsonist released from prison during the summer of 2022, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. Several months later, Burks murdered Hoover and stuffed the neurosurgeon's body in an attic crawl space at the victim's mansion in the historic Boston-Edison neighborhood of Detroit.
A member of Hoover's family called 911, asking law enforcement to conduct a welfare check at the home after Hoover had not returned home to Indiana to see his dying mother, Lauretta, who passed away four days after his murder.
Police responded to the house and discovered his body on April 23, 2023.
The day before the chilling discovery, Hoover's Range Rover was found several miles away from his home blocking a driveway, with blood inside the vehicle. Back at the crime scene, Hoover was "face down" in the attic crawl space, "only wearing socks" and "wrapped in blood-soaked carpet."
The medical examiner's office determined that he had been shot twice in the head. Burks was detained as a person of interest in May 2023, but he was later let go "following prosecutorial review," then-Detroit Police Chief James White said.
Authorities said that items belonging to Hoover, including expensive watches, a phone and a wallet, were stolen and that the evidence showed fraudulent bank account activity in the days after the murder.
About a year after killing Hoover, Burks encountered Saleh on a Detroit road.
On April 17, 2024, Burks got angry when Saleh bumped the back of his car, and after an argument, Burks reportedly punched Saleh in the head and left the scene.
The older man was brought to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on May 11, 2024.
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