A Las Vegas woman, Devyn Michaels, 46, has admitted to the brutal murder of her children’s father, Johnathan James Willette, also 46. Michaels confessed to the second-degree murder charge in court on Tuesday, according to online court records. She will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years of her sentence.
The gruesome case came to light when the victim’s mother found Willette’s decapitated body, which was emitting smoke due to a mixture of bleach and ammonia. The discovery was made at a residence on Pala Dura Drive, where Willette’s mother found him “wrapped in blankets and bloody,” according to an arrest report.
The report further detailed that Willette’s head was not found in the room, leading investigators to believe that Michaels had removed it. The head was never recovered, with prosecutors theorizing that Michaels had taken it to her home and disposed of it in the trash, which was subsequently collected and taken to a landfill.
The relationship between Michaels and Willette was complicated. They were reportedly trying to rekindle their relationship, despite Michaels being married to Willette’s son. The marriage was allegedly a mutual arrangement to assist each other, with Michaels citing her medical issues as a reason for the union. The couple also had two daughters together.
Police administered a polygraph test to Michaels after discovering Willette’s keys, wallet, and a blood-stained phone in his house. During the interview, Michaels claimed that Willette was abusive and had inappropriate behavior with a child. She admitted to hitting him in the head with a stick while they were in bed, causing his arms to go limp. She claimed her intention was not to kill him but to injure him enough to require hospitalization, thereby giving her time to figure out her next steps with her children.
The victim’s mother reported a missing meat cleaver from the kitchen, adding another layer of mystery to the case. Two days after the murder, Michaels appeared in court for an unrelated child abuse case involving her 8-year-old daughter. Despite her denial of being abusive, she was sentenced to a year of probation after her daughter told a teacher about being physically punished at home.
Michaels was arrested for Willette’s murder on August 15. Willette, a father of two, was a well-known figure on the Las Vegas Strip, where he had been selling timeshares for two decades. He was remembered as a friendly and helpful individual, always ready to lend a hand in times of need. Michaels is scheduled to be sentenced on October 31.