The murder of a neurosurgeon and an unexplained break-in: What we know about the killing of Devon Hoover
Doctor was found with gunshot wounds to head and wrapped in blanket at historic mansion in city
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Police say they have a person of interest in custody in connection to the murder of a Detroit neurosurgeon who was found dead at his mansion in the city.
Dr Devon Hoover, 53, was discovered dead by officers at his home after the force received a call from a worried relative when he failed to show up for an event.
Police have said that the case poses no greater threat to the wider public. Here is what we know about the killing so far.
Who was the victim?
According to Ascension Michigan’s website, Dr Devon Hoover, 53, was a “board-certified neurosurgeon and has a special interest in the treatment of neck and back disorders.”
“He completed his medical training at Indiana University School of Medicine, and his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,” the hospital’s biography said.
“He also completed fellowships, one in peripheral nerve surgery at Louisiana State University School of Medicine with Dr David Kline, and one in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Michigan with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr Alexa Canady.”
His obituary stated that he was born in Indiana and was an uncle to “many” nieces and nephews, was one of seven children and had six sisters. The obituary stated that his mother Lauretta died four days after his murder.
“Devon was the fourth child of seven and the middle member of what the family affectionately called ‘the three little ones.’ He took initiative in this little group, planning their pretend games and determining the rules that governed their play. Games of Monopoly went on for days as he kept suggesting new rules to extend the game and helped negotiate bank loans for struggling players. His early life was not all play and included plenty of manual labor,” the obituary read.
“Until he left for college, Devon worked on the family dairy farm — milking the cows, planting and harvesting crops, and doing many other chores alongside the rest of the family.”
Detroit police respond to a welfare check
Police carried out a welfare check at Hoover’s grand historic home in the Boston-Edison area of the city on 23 April after a relative from Indiana called and said he had missed an event he was expected to attend.
Investigators say that the surgeon had been shot multiple times in the head and his body had been wrapped up in a blanket and left in a crawl space.
‘Not a random act’: Police arrest a person of interest
Detroit Police Chief James White announced on Friday 28 April that a person of interest had been taken into custody.
Authorities say that the suspect is being held on charges unconnected to the slaying.
The police chief says that the suspect was known to the victim but refused to comment on the nature of their relationship, reported The Detroit Free Press.
“We’re confident this person has information about what transpired,” Chief White said. “This was not a random act.”
Chief White said that his investigators have “some theories” about what happened and that he remains “careful but confident” in the case.
A break-in at victim’s empty home
Police say that an unknown suspect broke into the now unoccupied home, which sits on the 100 block of W Boston Blvd, between Saturday 29 April and Sunday 30 April.
Officials have not said that the break-in was connected to the killing, which is still being actively investigated. No arrests have yet been made in connection to it.
The break-in took place just hours before his funeral was held on Sunday at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. A burial service is planned for a later date.