Published on: January 9, 2026, 03:28h.

Updated on: January 9, 2026, 03:28h.

Devyn Michaels, a former adult film actress, was sentenced to a term of 28 years to life in prison in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 8. In November 2025, she was found guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the brutal killing of Jonathan Willette, the father of her two daughters. The murder took place in August 2023, during which she bludgeoned and decapitated him.

The jury accepted the prosecution’s stance that Michaels, age 47, committed this atrocious act out of jealousy after her ex-boyfriend gained custody of their children earlier in 2023. Prosecutors argued that she sought to remove Jonathan from the picture to pursue a relationship with her current husband, Deviere Willette, who is Jonathan’s adult child from a different relationship.

The Night of the Crime

On the evening of August 6, 2023, law enforcement believes that Michaels attacked Jonathan with a wooden instrument in his home in Henderson, Nevada. Following the assault, she reportedly decapitated him and transported the head back to her Las Vegas neighborhood, disposing of it in a trash bin.

To date, neither the head nor the murder weapon has been located.

Reports indicate that Jonathan’s mother stumbled upon his headless body, which was treated with chemicals and ignited.

Michaels has been in custody since her arrest on August 7, 2023. Initially, she told investigators that she struck Jonathan during a massage, claiming it was a reaction to his unwanted advances, but she denied decapitating him or concealing his head.

Plea Deal Drama

In September 2024, Michaels initially entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder, which included a proposed sentence of 15 years to life with eligibility for parole after 15 years.

However, during a court appearance on July 17, 2025, she retracted her plea in a highly emotional response, asserting her intention to prove her innocence.

Her defense team accused Deviere of being the true perpetrator, suggesting he acted out of jealousy when she mentioned reconciling with Jonathan.

The jury dismissed this defense and convicted Michaels of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon after a trial lasting two weeks.

“In the eyes of justice, we must regard her as a significant threat, judge,” stated Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani to Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Tierra Jones during sentencing. “This is someone capable of extreme malevolence. Is this a person we want walking among us in 20 or 28 years, or at all?”