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Jury Selection Begins in Trial Over Detroit Neurosurgeon Devon Hoover’s 2023 Killing

Prosecutors say digital records, financial activity and an alleged intimate relationship link defendant Desmond Burks to the crime.

Overview

  • The case opens after multiple postponements, with jury selection starting Tuesday for Desmond Burks in Wayne County Circuit Court.
  • Burks faces counts including murder, larceny, using a computer to commit a crime, and felony firearms tied to Hoover’s April 2023 death.
  • Investigators assembled what prosecutors call a massive evidence set spanning five U.S. states and three countries, including roughly 4,000 communications between Hoover and numbers attributed to Burks.
  • Prosecutors allege Burks began spending Hoover’s money within minutes of the killing and point to missing designer watches and credit cards as part of a financial motive, alongside alleged jealousy.
  • The defense contends there is no direct physical evidence tying Burks to the killing or the movement of Hoover’s body, and Burks also faces a separate charged 2024 road-rage homicide with no trial date set.