A Las Vegas jury has delivered a shocking verdict in a grisly and sensational case, convicting a 47-year-old woman of first-degree murder for the beheading of her ex-husband, a crime authorities allege was driven by a tangled web of jealousy and a desire to secure a new life with the victim's own son.
Devyn Michaels, who also worked as a realtor and used the names Nikki Fairchild and Tracee Tavarez, now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, with or without the possibility of parole, for the 2023 killing of Johnathan Willette . The jury reached its guilty verdict in November 2025 after a dramatic two-week trial centered on a love triangle that captivated public attention .
A Gruesome Discovery and a Disturbing Confession
The case began on the morning of August 7, 2023, when Willette's mother discovered her son's headless body in bed at his Henderson, Nevada home . The scene was particularly gruesome; bottles of bleach and ammonia were found next to the body, which showed severe chemical burns, and a strong toxic gas filled the room . A meat cleaver was also reported missing from the victim's mother's kitchen .
The investigation quickly led police to Devyn Michaels, the mother of Willette's two children . She initially failed a polygraph test, with the examiner noting a "significant reaction" when asked if she participated in his death . In a later police interview, which was shown to the jury, Michaels confessed to striking the 46-year-old Willette in the head with a "candlestick-like" object while giving him a massage . "He didn't say anything. He stopped moving," she told detectives .
The most chilling detail, however, came from a separate police interview. Detective Dennis Ozawa testified that Michaels told him she placed Willette's severed head in a laundry basket, drove it to her own neighborhood, and disposed of it in a trash bin . According to Ozawa, when a garbage truck drove by during the interview and beeped, Michaels remarked that Willette went "bye-bye" . To this day, Willette's head and the murder weapon have never been recovered .
The "Love Triangle" at the Heart of the Case
Prosecutors argued the motive was a dark and complex family drama. Michaels and Willette had married in 2012 and divorced in 2018 . After the divorce, Michaels began an affair with and later married Willette's son, 29-year-old Deviere Willette . Both Michaels and Deviere initially claimed this marriage was one "of convenience" for insurance purposes, though it was later revealed the affair had been ongoing for years .
The case took another turn as Johnathan Willette was reportedly in the process of moving back in with Michaels and his son, a plan meant to keep their family together . Prosecutors asserted that Michaels feared this move would disrupt the life she had built with Deviere . "This is the future that she saw and that she wanted, and the only way to have that future was with John out of the picture," Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani told the jury .
Prosecutors also pointed to the contentious issue of child custody, suggesting Michaels held a grudge because Willette had recently won full custody of their two daughters .
The Trial: Two Conflicting Theories of the Crime
Over the two-week trial, prosecutors and the defense presented two starkly different narratives.
* The Prosecution's Case: The state's argument hinged on Michaels' own confession, physical evidence, and her shifting stories. Key evidence included the victim's wallet, keys, and social security card found in a bag at her home (with her DNA on the bag's knot) and his bloody cellphone discovered in her driveway . A forensic expert testified that Willette was decapitated after death using both a knife and a mechanically powered saw, and Deputy District Attorney Brittni Griffith argued, "Women can do anything," countering the defense's claim that Michaels was physically incapable of the act .
* The Defense's Strategy: Michaels' attorney, Robert Draskovich, pointed the finger at Deviere Willette . He suggested the young man, who had lost his virginity to Michaels, killed his father out of fear that his father's arrival would end his relationship with her . Draskovich questioned the police investigation's thoroughness and emphasized the lack of video or phone evidence placing Deviere at the crime scene . He argued that without the victim's head, the official cause and manner of death were scientifically undetermined . Deviere Willette testified that he had no involvement in his father's death .
The jury deliberated for just under two hours before finding Michaels guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon .
A Twisted Legal Path and Impending Sentencing
The path to this verdict was unusual. In 2024, Michaels had reached a plea deal, pleading guilty to second-degree murder, which would have made her eligible for parole after 15 years . However, she later withdrew that plea, insisting she could prove her innocence . Her subsequent apology and immediate declaration of innocence sent the case to trial . During her sentencing hearing this past summer, she again apologized before claiming she was innocent, a move that prompted Judge Tierra Jones to reject the plea deal and order a trial .
Devyn Michaels is scheduled to be formally sentenced by Judge Jones on January 8, 2026, where she will receive a mandatory life sentence .
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