A woman formerly known as an adult film star has been found guilty by a jury of murdering her former husband before later marrying his son, following a lengthy legal trial. Devyn Michaels, aged 47, was convicted of first-degree homicide last month after a two-week trial where prosecutors and defense attorneys presented contrasting narratives to the 14-member jury.
According to prosecutors John Giordani and Brittni Griffith, Michaels harbored animosity towards her ex-husband Willette after he gained full custody of their two children. Despite attempts by Michaels’ defense team to shift suspicion to Willette’s son, no concrete evidence, such as CCTV footage or phone records, could link him to the crime scene.
Michaels was apprehended in 2023 after the gruesome discovery of her ex-husband Jonathan Willette’s decapitated body, bearing severe chemical burns, at his residence in Las Vegas on August 6, 2023. Investigators suspected Michaels of discarding Willette’s head in a dumpster in her residential area.
During the trial, prosecutor Griffith claimed that Willette intended to relocate with Michaels and his son, a plan that Michaels sought to thwart by eliminating her ex-husband. Testimony indicated that Michaels married Willette in 2012, divorced in 2018, and subsequently wed Willette’s 29-year-old son in what she described as marriages of convenience.
The victim’s son, Deviere Willette, testified denying any involvement in his father’s death. Prosecutors presented a video where Michaels allegedly confessed to fatally striking her ex-husband with a candlestick-like object while giving him a massage.
Henderson police detective Dennis Ozawa disclosed that Michaels admitted to placing Willette’s head in a laundry basket and disposing of it in a bin near her home. Despite ongoing assertions from her legal team regarding Michaels’ physical incapability to decapitate a person of Willette’s stature, the murder weapon and Willette’s head remain undiscovered.
In a turn of events, Michaels initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, which could have led to parole eligibility after 15 years. However, she later attempted to retract her plea, but the court ruled it was voluntary and intelligent. Michaels, also known as Nikki Fairchild and Tracee Taverz, expressed regret before asserting her innocence, leading to a trial to determine her fate.