DETROIT – The trial of Desmond Burks ended before it began on Wednesday, as Burks took a plea deal on the second day of jury selection.
Burks pled guilty to several counts in connection with the killing of 53-year-old Detroit neurosurgeon Dr. Devon Hoover and 67-year-old Dearborn resident Reda Saleh.
Burks was accused of killing Hoover at his home in April 2023 and fatally punching Saleh in a separate road rage attack one year later in April 2024.
As part of the plea agreement, Burks pled guilty to second-degree murder in connection with Hoover’s death and manslaughter in connection with Saleh’s death.
A full breakdown of the plea agreement and the case timeline can be found here.
Burks’ defense attorney, Gabi Silver, said Burks’ decision came as a surprise, but said the plea agreement was a good offer from prosecutors.
“Mr. Burks was facing a mandatory 25 years because he was charged as a violent habitual fourth offender, so this was a mid-guideline range sentence on a murder two, and given that he would have had to do 25 years under any circumstance, we thought that this was a good offer,” Silver said.
Hoover’s family wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Saleh’s widow, Wegad Salmaci, declined an interview but told Local 4 she was glad Burks pleaded guilty and said he did the right thing by preventing the case from going to trial.
Megan Beemer was Hoover’s patient and close friend.
She says she felt relieved when she learned Burks had pleaded guilty and that Hoover’s friends and family wouldn’t have to go through a trial.
Hoover worked as a neurosurgeon at Ascension Hospital in Detroit at the time of his death.
Beemer said Hoover was kind to everyone, especially when caring for his patients.
“He was so smart and so talented, I mean, the things he could do, the lives that he saved, he was just a really amazing human,” Beemer said.
Beemer said she believes the plea deal, which will guarantee Burks will serve at least 40 years in prison, is a fair sentence.
“I think it’s a fair sentence because I think the fair thing is that he stays in prison for the rest of his life, and I think that’ll do that,” Beemer said.
Beemer said she would like Hoover to be remembered for how he lived, and not the tragic circumstances surrounding his death.
“The thing we need to focus on is all of the good that he did and all of the people he helped,” Beemer said. “It’s sad the way that he died, but the way that he lived was awesome.”