LAS VEGAS (Court TV) — Deviere Willette, the victim’s son and the defendant’s husband, testified that he did not kill his father and was not involved in mutilating his body and concealing that he was beheaded.
Willette testified he was 19 when he started an intimate relationship with the defendant while she was still dating his father. After Devyn Michaels and his father split, Deviere moved in with the defendant and married her in November of 2021.
Deviere Willette testifies in Devyn Michaels’ murder trial on Nov. 6, 2025. (Court TV)
On the night that Johnathan was murdered, Willette said he was at home and had texted Michaels to tell her that he had put her two daughters to sleep and was going to bed. He said he never left the house again after he went to bed about 10:30 pm that night.
He testified that when he was questioned by police the same day his father’s body was discovered, he was not aware of the circumstances around his death and did not suspect his wife’s involvement until sometime later when he read about his murder in a news article.
MORE | NV v. Devyn Michaels: Love Triangle Beheading Trial
A day after he read the news article that pointed to Michaels as the suspect, he broke up with his wife in a jail call and moved back to California.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Robert Draskovich confronted the 29-year-old with previous statements he made about his relationship with Devyn Michaels, noting that he initially told police their marriage was one of convenience, and that they did not sleep together or share a bedroom, contradicting what he said on the stand.
He denied knowing that his father was moving in and claimed that he learned of the move through his interview with the police. However, Draskovich noted that he told the police he saw his father in the garage when he was moving his things in and avoided talking to him.
The defense also suggested that Deviere owned the tools that were needed to remove the victim’s head, saying that Deviere installed home entertainment and security systems and had a power saw that could cut through drywall.
The defense contends that it was Deviere who murdered his father and that their client is covering up for him.
