Devon Hoover murder: Cops have suspect in mystery killing of beloved neurosurgeon found dead in $1.2M mansion's attic
MICHIGAN, DETROIT: Detroit authorities are "confident" they have Devon Hoover's killer. Cops have arrested a suspect in the mysterious killing of the beloved neurosurgeon who was shot twice in his upscale home earlier this year.
The 53-year-old, who is believed to have lived alone, was discovered naked and wrapped in a plastic sheet in the attic of his Boston-Edison District mansion on April 23.
After four months of near radio silence, Detroit Police Chief James White finally gave a crucial update on the ongoing probe into Hoover’s death, stating that his department is “prepared to make an announcement” about a suspect.
“We are very confident we are going to bring this family justice. We are confident that we are aware of the circumstances. We are confident in our suspect,” White said at a meeting of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday, August 31.
"We just need a little bit more time to work with the prosecutor's office and we have a to-do list, and we're prepared to make an announcement before snow hits the ground. We just have a lot of work to do," he continued, according to NY Post.
How did authorities discover Devon Hoover’s body?
Hoover was found wrapped in a plastic sheet and stuffed in a crawl space of an attic after Detroit police conducted a welfare check at his home.
White maintained his silence on how the surgeon was found but noted that responding officers were "quickly concerned about some of the things that they saw" inside the home.
After Hoover’s death was ruled a homicide in April, authorities announced that they had a person of interest under custody and they believed the individual “knows something about what occurred” at the doctor’s residence.
However, that person was released from custody “following prosecutorial review.” At the time, White asserted that the arrested man and Hoover knew each other, but declined to go into detail about the nature of their relationship.
The police chief had also revealed that Hoover’s death was clearly targeted and the murderer was someone he knew closely.
Why Devon Hoover’s loved ones questioned police investigation
Despite the authorities’ "confident" claims, the renowned neurosurgeon's loved ones are still unconvinced.
“Before the snow flies, do I believe that? Eh, I hope for that. I don’t know if I totally believe it yet,” Hoover’s friend and patient Janet Rohloff told the NY Post.
Rohloff, who knew Hoover for 14 years, attended Thursday’s meeting alongside the doctor’s neighbor, Jeff Cowin, to ask for an update on the case and to demand the FBI get involved.
Police ‘confident’ they have a suspect in mystery slay of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover https://t.co/6W56BLXcB7 pic.twitter.com/NbYkQIBA6S
— New York Post (@nypost) September 3, 2023
“This man is non-confrontational. He wouldn’t even evict a tenant who hadn’t paid in a year. This man had no enemies,” Cowin said while mourning Hoover’s tragic death.
“It’s concerning not knowing where the suspect is, how many suspects there are. My concern is for the community’s safety,” he added.
Rohloff said the past several months had been incredibly trying since she didn't know how the investigation was going.
“I wish I knew what kind of information [the police] have that they won’t share,” she lamented. “I understand why, but it’s hard for all of us sitting out here — it really is."