An adult film star has been found guilty of murder after beheading her ex-husband in a case that revealed a deeply disturbing family dynamic involving her subsequent marriage to her own stepson.
The Gruesome Discovery
Devyn Michaels, 47, now faces life imprisonment for the murder of Johnathan Willette, 46, whose decapitated body was discovered doused in chemicals at his home. The victim's distraught mother made the horrific discovery, finding her son's body wrapped in blankets and covered in blood according to arrest reports.
Prosecutors revealed that Michaels carried out the brutal killing because she was jealous of Willette after he obtained sole custody of their two young daughters. The murder took place in August 2023, though Willette's head has never been recovered despite extensive searches.
A Twisted Family Dynamic
The case took another bizarre turn when court testimony revealed that Michaels had married her stepson, Deviere Willette, 29, after divorcing her victim. She described this union as a "marriage of convenience," though prosecutors argued it was part of her motivation for the killing.
During opening statements, lead prosecutor John Giordani warned jurors to "buckle up, because you're in for a wild ride" as he presented crime-scene photos, including images of the victim's body. He later held up a family photograph of Michaels, Deviere, and her children, telling jurors: "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."
The Murder and Aftermath
According to video evidence played in court, Michaels told police she struck Willette with a "candlestick-like" item while giving him a massage in his bedroom. "He didn't say anything. He stopped moving," she told detectives during her interview.
In a gruesome twist, she then severed her ex-husband's head, placed it in a laundry basket, and transported it to her own home before eventually disposing of it in a local bin. No murder weapon or tools used in the dismemberment were ever recovered by investigators.
Prosecutor Brittni Griffith told jurors that Michaels wanted her ex-husband "out of the picture" despite the fact that Willette was in the process of moving back in with her and his son. "And the truth is, the walls were closing in on Devyn Michaels and the fantasy that she had put together," Griffith added.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
The case took several unexpected turns in court. Michaels initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last autumn as part of a plea deal that carried a 15-year prison sentence with parole possibility. However, during her sentencing hearing in July, she dramatically claimed innocence, prompting prosecutors to move forward with a first-degree murder trial.
Michaels' defence team had argued that she could not have decapitated a man of Willette's size alone and attempted to paint Deviere Willette as a potential suspect. However, Deviere testified that he had no involvement in his father's death, and no phone or video evidence placed him near the crime scene.
Devyn Michaels will be sentenced on 8th January and faces life imprisonment with or without parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in this shocking case that has left legal experts and the public alike grappling with its disturbing details.
