After a two-week murder trial that shocked even seasoned Las Vegas court observers, a Clark County jury has found adult film star Devyn Michaels guilty of first-degree murder in the brutal 2023 killing and decapitation of her ex-husband, Jonathan Willette.
According to 8 News Now, Michaels, 47—who also used the names Nikki Fairchild and Tracee Tavarez throughout her adult film career—was convicted on Friday night after just two hours of jury deliberation.
Prosecutors said she killed Willette inside his Henderson home on August 6, 2023, by striking him with a wooden object and then decapitating him. Investigators later discovered his body doused in chemicals. His head has never been recovered.
Authorities believe Michaels placed Willette’s head in a laundry basket, transported it to her northwest Las Vegas residence, and disposed of it in a neighborhood trash bin.
Henderson Detective Dennis Ozawa testified that during one of his interviews, Michaels mentioned that a trash truck passed by as she spoke and reportedly said that Willette went “bye-bye.” The jury never heard that statement because it occurred after Michaels had requested an attorney.
Prosecutors John Giordani and Brittni Griffith told jurors that Michaels’ motive was rooted in jealousy and control. Willette had recently been granted full custody of their two children and was preparing to move back in with her to stabilize their lives.
But at the time, Michaels was also married to his son, Deviere Willette, 29—making her both wife and stepmother in an arrangement she described as a “marriage of convenience.”
“This was the fantasy she built for herself,” Griffith told the jury during closing arguments. “And when it started to fall apart, she acted.”
During police interviews, Michaels told investigators she struck Willette with an object she described as “candlestick-like” while massaging him, claiming he made unwanted advances. “He didn’t say anything. He stopped moving,” she said in one taped statement.
The defense attempted to shift blame to Deviere, alleging he killed his father after learning Michaels wanted to reconcile with his father. However, no evidence placed him near the crime scene, and he denied involvement during testimony.
In an additional revelation from court records, Michaels was once married to Robert Baker, the man convicted of killing Toronto hairstylist Fabio Sementilli in 2017. She also has a prior record in Nevada: just three days after Willette’s death, on August 9, 2023, she received a one-year probation sentence in an unrelated child abuse case.
Last fall, Michaels initially pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a potential parole opportunity after 15 years, but later withdrew her plea. During sentencing for that deal, she apologized to Willette’s family before declaring, “I’m innocent.” The case then proceeded to trial.
Judge Tierra Jones will sentence Michaels on January 8, 2026. She faces life in prison, with or without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty.