Murder trial begins of ex-porn star accused of beheading the father of her children while she was giving him a massage

47-year-old Devyn Michaels, who also goes by the names Nikki Fairchild and Tracee Tavarez, is alleged to have killed Johnathan Willette, aged 46, at his home in August 2023.

Eight days after the August 7 murder, police arrested Michaels. It is said that the defendant and the victim, who shared two young children but never married, had been in an on-off relationship for years.

At the time of the killing, Michaels was married to Willette’s son, Deviere Willette, attorneys said as they gave their opening statements at the murder trial yesterday (Wednesday November 5). The pair initially told police that their marriage was one of of convenience for insurance purposes, but defense attorney Robert Draskovich showed the jury explicit text messages and photos which he said proved the two had actually been having a yearslong affair before the eventually wed.

Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said Johnathan Willette had custody of he and Michaels children, but that the two were planning on “reuniting” and living together for the sake of the children. Johnathan Willette was planning to move into Michaels’ house, essentially leaving Deviere Willette without a place to live, attorneys said, according to a local news report.

Michaels admitted to police that she was at Johnathan Willette’s home, in Henderson, Nevada, Las Vegas, on the night he was killed, Giordani further told the court. Michaels told officers she was massaging Johnathan Willette when she grabbed a heavy object and struck him on the back of the head. Police believe she then removed his head and poured chemicals over his body.

“John was lying on his stomach, not a threat, in the midst of a massage, face down, unexpected,” Giordani said. “And the defendant admits that she returned to the bed, bashed him over the head with that club or stick, and that John went limp at that time.”

Michaels had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with Johnathan Willette’s death, but she withdrew her plea in July after claiming during a court hearing that she could prove her innocence.

At the time, Giordani suggested the case go to trial, which Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones then ordered and that trial began yesterday.

According to a police report, Michaels alleged to police that Johnathan Willette was “abusive to her” and had tried to force her to perform a sex act on him on the night he died. Johnathan Willette’s family have disputed that claim, however, and neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys addressed the allegations during their opening statements in court, as per the local news report.

Johnathan Willette’s mum discovered his decapitated body wrapped in a sheet on his bed, police have said. Investigators have never found his head, the murder weapon, or the device used to decapitate him.

A crime scene analyst who was questioned by prosecutors in court yesterday afternoon testified that she did not see evidence showing Johnathan Willette’s body had been moved, and so she believed he was likely decapitated on the bed.

Draskovich alleged Deviere Willette killed his dad. Police never named Deviere Willette as a suspect, however, and interviewed him several times.

Draskovich told the jury: “What happened on August 7, 2023, was Deviere was getting kicked out, 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.”

Prosecutors said that Deviere Willette’s mobile phone location data did not place him near his dad’s home the night of his murder. Deviere Willette has not been charged in connection with the case. In addition, Giordani also said that surveillance footage showed Michaels with Johnathan Willette the night he was murdered, but the cameras “clearly rule out Deviere,” because there is no footage of him near his dad.

Giordani emphasised the inconsistent statements Michaels had apparently given to police. He said that investigators found Johnathan Willette’s phone, which had blood on it, lying on the ground outside of Michaels’ home. His wallet and car keys were also found un her underwear drawer.

Deviere Willette was among the names expected to testify in the trial. Because of this, he was not in the courtroom as the trial began. Michaels is accused of taking Willette’s head from the crime scene and driving it to her home in Las Vegas, where she threw it in the bin, documents said, as revealed in another local publication. The head was then likely picked up by a waste collection service, prosecutors said.

Attorneys began questioning police witnesses on Wednesday afternoon, and the trial is expected to continue this morning, (Thursday November 6), with further witness testimony.