A Nevada woman is attempting to establish her innocence in a trial that began this week, more than a year after she pleaded guilty to the 2023 murder of her former lover.
On August 7, 2023, Johnathan Willette’s beheaded body was discovered in a Henderson, Nevada house, according to a statement released by the Henderson Police Department.
According to a police report reported by 8 News Now, FOX 5 Las Vegas, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, his mother found his headless body near bottles of bleach and ammonia.
Police arrested his girlfriend, Devyn Michaels, about a week later, according to a police statement.
Michaels allegedly told police that when he tried to coerce her into a sexual act, she whacked him on the head with a wooden stick, according to the police report.
She also stated that she did not plan to kill him, but rather wanted to hurt him so she could “figure out what she could do with her children” while he was in the hospital, according to FOX 5 (quoting the report).
She pled guilty to second-degree murder last year, according to court records previously obtained by PEOPLE.
At her sentencing in July, Michaels had a dramatic breakdown and claimed her innocence, causing Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones to approve her request to withdraw her plea, according to 8 News Now.
The jury trial, which Michaels hopes will show her innocence, began on Wednesday, November 5, according to the site.
Michaels was married to Willette’s son when she was killed, according to 8 News Now and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
According to 8 News Now, Michaels and Willette were in the process of moving in together to care for their two children.
According to the police report, Michaels’ spouse, Willette’s son, stated that their marriage was the result of an agreement to help her with medical concerns.
However, during this week’s trial, the jury was shown intimate images of the married pair taken when the son was in his teens, according to 8 News Now.
Michaels’ defense counsel, Robert Draskovich, pointed fingers at Willette’s son, claiming the jury he had a motive to kill since Willette was moving in.
“…he was no longer going to be in this relationship because dad, the dad he hated, was coming in and not only taking his home, but taking his wife,” said Draskovich, according to the newspaper.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
