Las Vegas Woman Accused of Severing Man’s Head, Claimed She Isn’t Abusive
Posted on: October 25, 2023, 01:06h.
Last updated on: October 25, 2023, 01:34h.
A Nevada woman is now accused of killing and decapitating her sometimes boyfriend, and later throwing his head in the garbage. Two days after the crime, she told a judge she wasn’t abusive, news reports revealed this week.
On August 9, Devyn Michaels, 45, appeared in court on an unrelated child abuse case involving her eight-year-old daughter, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.
Michaels told the judge, “I’m not an abusive person.” She added there’s no “risk for me to abuse her [the daughter] or would ever do this again.”
Judge Mary Kay Holthus listened to the woman before sentencing her to one year’s probation for the October 2022 case.
The alleged abuse came to light after a childcare facility employee reported to police the girl had bruises on her legs. The girl told the employee she had received a “whooping” from her stepfather, according to KLAS.
“[The child] also told the teacher that her mother gave her a ‘whooping’ the week prior for having apple juice.”
Michaels soon admitted to an investigator she spanked the girl and struck her with a belt, according to KLAS.
On the same day the judge kept Michaels from going to jail, Henderson, Nev. police officers were searching for a suspect in the gruesome decapitation.
By August 15, they had enough evidence to arrest Michaels for the killing and beheading of Johnathan James Willette, 46.
Tossed Head in Trash
Police now believe Michaels took Willette’s severed head from the Henderson crime scene, placed it in a car, and drove to her Las Vegas residence where she threw it away in the garbage, according to news reports.
A trash collection service likely picked it up with the rest of the garbage. The head is still missing, KLAS reported this week.
A meat cleaver was taken from Willette’s residence at the time of the murder and has yet to be located.
Last week, Judge Holthus revoked Michaels’ probation for the child abuse charge. She now must serve one year in jail.
Killing Over Sex Act
It was also revealed that, on the night of the murder, Willette ordered Michaels to perform a sex act on him while the two were in his residence. She refused before allegedly killing him.
Willette’s body, without the head, was discovered by his mother on August 7 on a bed in his Pala Dura Drive home.
When speaking to officers, Michaels later admitted striking Willette on the head with a wooden stick while the two were on the bed. She never confessed to severing his head, but told officers she just wanted to injure him sufficiently so he would need to go to a hospital, according to KLAS.
Body Was Smoking
When police arrived at the crime scene, officers also noticed that “smoke” was rising from the headless body.
It appeared Michaels applied bleach and ammonia on the corpse, police added.
Michaels didn’t live at the Pala Dura Drive residence, but she and Willette reportedly planned to move in together.
Married to Man’s Son
In another twist to their relationship, Michaels was married to Willette’s son, and the two lived together, KLAS reported. She claims she married the son because of unspecified “medical reasons.”
Willette also was identified as the father of Michaels’ children, according to KLAS. The two reportedly had two daughters.
Michaels claimed that Willette was abusive to her and a child, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Michaels also claimed Willette would watch as a child of his was in the shower, according to KLAS.
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Source: casino.org
