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Jury Selection Wednesday in Desmond Burks’ Trial in Killing of Detroit Neurosurgeon

Prosecutors say extensive digital, financial evidence will anchor the case.

Overview

  • Jury selection is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday after a pre-trial hearing on Monday, and court staff say the trial could last several weeks.
  • Judge Paul Cusick set rules for decorum and barred news outlets from showing the faces of civilian witnesses.
  • Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder, larceny, using a computer to commit a crime, and felony firearms charges in the April 2023 killing.
  • The probe spanned five states and three countries, relied on cellphone records and surveillance video, and recovered roughly 4,000 messages suggesting an intimate relationship with paid encounters.
  • Prosecutors allege more than $30,000 was taken through credit cards and fraudulent transfers routed through intermediaries and Cash App, with some former lovers describing the money flow at the preliminary hearing.