Overview
- A Clark County jury returned the verdict after about two hours of deliberation following a two-week trial.
- Prosecutors said Michaels struck Johnathan Willette with a wooden or candlestick-like object, decapitated him, and left his body doused in chemicals.
- Authorities testified they believe she transported the head in a laundry basket and disposed of it in a neighborhood trash bin, and it has not been recovered.
- The state argued she was driven by jealousy and control after Willette gained full custody of their children and planned to move back in.
- Michaels withdrew a prior second-degree murder plea and now faces life with or without parole at sentencing, with prosecutors declining to seek the death penalty.