In a chilling case that has gripped the Michigan community, Desmond Burks, 35, has confessed to the brutal murder of a prominent neurosurgeon in the man’s luxurious mansion. The crime, which sent shockwaves through the region, was later followed by another tragic killing nearly a year later.

Burks appeared in court to plead guilty to a slew of charges. Among these were second-degree murder, grand larceny involving over $20,000, illegal use of a computer for criminal purposes, and unlawful possession of a firearm due to his felon status. This information was confirmed by reports from those present in the courtroom, including the local NBC affiliate, WDIV. In a plea deal regarding the murder of 53-year-old Dr. Devon Hoover, the more severe first-degree murder charge against Burks was dismissed.

In addition, Burks admitted to manslaughter in the separate case of 67-year-old Reda Saleh’s death, for which he was initially charged with second-degree murder. This development was previously covered by Law&Crime, highlighting the seriousness of his offenses.

The relationship between Burks and Dr. Hoover has been a focal point of the investigation. Authorities, including Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, have detailed that the two men were intimately acquainted, exchanging about 4,000 text messages. According to Prosecutor Worthy, these communications revealed the nature of their relationship, indicating that Burks would sometimes demand payment from Dr. Hoover for sexual encounters.

“The text messages established 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, per WDIV.

Burks was a convicted arsonist let out of 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. And back at the crime scene, Hoover was “face-down” in the attic crawl space, “only wearing socks” and “wrapped in a 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.

The defendant apparently had a proclivity toward violence, as, about a year after killing Hoover, he encountered Saleh on a Detroit road. As the area’s Fox affiliate WJBK reported, on April 17, 2024, Burks got angry when Saleh bumped the back of his car, and after an argument, Burks 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.

Burks is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20, when he is expected to be put behind bars for the rest of his life.

An obituary for Hoover recalls that he bought his Detroit mansion in 2008. He was a board member of the Detroit Opera and “hosted a picturesque Christmas party that became a bit of a tradition in his neighborhood.”

The obituary expresses how much he loved the home where he would one day be found dead. “He was essentially the curator of his own museum, which he loved sharing with friends, family, and visitors,” it reads.