The man who pleaded guilty to murdering beloved Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover was sentenced to 35-60 years in prison on Friday.
Desmond Burks was accused of shooting Hoover and hiding his body in a crawl space inside Hoover’s Boston Edison home in April 2023. Last month, Burks pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, larceny – $20,000 or more, using a computer to commit a crime and weapons charges.
You can hear the victim impact statements from Hoover’s family members in the video below
Family of Devon Hoover give victim impact statements during sentencing for Desmond Burks
Burks addressed the court ahead of the sentencing and said that he wasn’t a murderer, despite taking the guilty plea. You can hear his speech in the video below
Desmond Burks addresses court before sentencing in murder of Detroit neurosurgeon
In exchange for the plea, the first-degree murder charge against Burks was dropped. Burks was also charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 67-year-old Reda Saleh after a road rage incident. Saleh’s stepdaughter spoke at the sentencing. You can hear her victim impact statement in the video below.
Family of Reda Saleh give victim impact statement at Desmond Burks sentencing
See the full guilty plea in the video below:
Desmond Burks pleads guilty in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover
Burks’ decision to plead guilty came two days into jury selection for his trial. It was a rare move but not unheard of, according to Todd Flood, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor…