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Crime

Man who killed prominent Detroit neurosurgeon sentenced to 35-60 years in prison

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Paula Wethington
Paula Wethington
Web Producer
Paula Wethington is a digital producer at CBS Detroit. She previously held digital content roles at NEWSnet, Gannett/USA Today network and The Monroe News in Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.
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Paula Wethington,
Joseph Buczek
Manager of Digital Content and Promotion, CBS Detroit
Joe Buczek is manager of digital content and promotion at CBS Detroit. He previously worked at WWTV, the Grand Traverse Insider, the Leader and the Kalkaskian, the Oakland Press and the Morning Sun.
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Joseph Buczek

/ CBS Detroit

A man who pleaded guilty in the April 2023 murder of prominent Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover was sentenced Friday.

Desmond Burks, 35, of Detroit, had pleaded guilty on Jan. 21 to second-degree murder in connection with the killing. Burks also pleaded guilty to larceny of $20,000 or more, using a computer to commit a crime, felon in possession of a firearm and felony firearm in the case.  

Burks was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison, as expected per the plea agreement. 

An autopsy revealed Hoover was shot twice in the back of the head.    

Hoover's sister, Lila Graber, was among those giving victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing. She said the murder had affected every member of the extended family.

"One of the heaviest burdens is knowing the devastating blow it was to our 85-year-old father to lose his only son in such a violent, senseless way," Graber said.

Additionally, Burks pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to manslaughter in connection with the death of a Dearborn man on April 17, 2024. Burks is accused of punching 67-year-old Reda Saleh and leaving him in the roadway in a road rage incident. Saleh was hospitalized and later died from his injuries on May 11, 2024.

Saleh's stepdaughter, Angie Salmaci, also addressed the court during the hearing, speaking directly to Burks at one point about the great loss the families have experienced.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has said the investigation was complicated because many witnesses were reluctant to come forward with sensitive and personal information.

After Hoover's murder, prosecutors claim fraudulent transactions were reportedly made using Hoover's various bank accounts, and more than $30,000 was stolen from his accounts, as well as a Range Rover and two watches valued at $13,500.

Prosecutors say Burks was seen on surveillance footage driving Hoover's Range Rover in the days following the doctor's murder. 

Authorities allege that text messages between Burks and Hoover established that the two were in an intimate relationship.

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