Published on: November 15, 2025, 01:27h.

Updated on: November 15, 2025, 01:27h.

A jury in Las Vegas found 47-year-old former adult film actress Devyn Michaels guilty of first-degree murder after she brutally killed her 46-year-old ex-husband, Johnathan Willette, by striking him multiple times and subsequently decapitating him.

If you think that’s shocking, wait until you hear the next part…

Investigators believe Michaels was motivated by jealousy over the custody of their two children, which was awarded to Willette earlier in 2023. It also appears she wanted to maintain a peaceful relationship with her current spouse, Deviere Wilette, who is Willette’s son and her step-son.

I told you it would be wild.

In a bizarre twist, the man Michaels ultimately killed became her father-in-law through her marriage to Deviere Wilette. (When they wed, Michaels was 43, and Deviere was just 24.)

“Prepare yourselves for a shocking recounting,” prosecutor John Giordani warned the jury on the first day of testimony on November 5, based on reports from KLAS-TV/Las Vegas.

Details of the Crime

On August 6, 2023, on the night of the murder, it is believed that Michaels assaulted Johnathan—her husband from 2012 to 2018—with a wooden stick at his residence in Henderson, Nevada, before decapitating him and transporting his head back to her Las Vegas neighborhood, where it was disposed of in a trash can.

A police report from KLAS indicates that Johnathan’s mother discovered his lifeless body inside his home, which had been treated with chemicals and was smoking. Neither his head nor the weapon was recovered.

After her arrest on August 7, 2023, Michaels initially confessed to striking her ex-husband, claiming it occurred after he made an unwanted sexual advance while she was giving him a back rub.

Plea Bargain Complications

On September 17, 2024, Michaels accepted a plea deal for second-degree murder that entailed a potential sentence of 15 years to life, with the chance for parole after 15 years.

However, during her sentencing hearing on July 17, 2025, she made an emotional change of heart, stating she could prove her innocence and withdrew her plea.

Michaels’ attorney alleged that Deviere Wilette had committed the murder in a fit of jealousy, especially after Michaels sought a divorce to reconcile with his father.

The jury, however, dismissed this defense.

Michaels is set to return to the Clark County District Court for sentencing on January 8, 2026.