Overview
- Deviere Willette, 29, testified he had a yearslong sexual relationship with Devyn Michaels that led to marriage, and he told jurors he had no involvement in his father’s killing.
- Prosecutors played recordings of Michaels’ jail calls in which she said there was no murder weapon and “nothing on me,” while Willette expressed doubts after reading news coverage.
- The state says surveillance shows Michaels with Johnathan Willette the night he was slain and cellphone data does not place Deviere at the scene; investigators found the victim’s bloody phone near Michaels’ home and his wallet and keys in her drawer.
- Defense attorney Robert Draskovich argued Deviere is the real killer, citing marital strife, alleged hatred of his father, and his work in home security, though he has not been charged.
- Investigators have not recovered the head or murder weapon, a crime scene analyst testified the decapitation likely occurred on the bed, and the case proceeded to trial after Michaels withdrew a prior guilty plea.