A Las Vegas mom accused of decapitating her boyfriend shocked the court after reversing her guilty plea as she was about to be sentenced for his murder.
Devyn Michaels, now 47, was arrested in August 2023 after the body of her boyfriend, 46-year-old Jonathan Willette, was found decapitated, according to an arrest report obtained by KSNV at the time.
After reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in fall of 2024, Michaels pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Once she served 15 years, Michaels would have been eligible for parole under the deal, KLAS reported.
However, Michaels asked to undo her guilty plea while facing a judge Thursday, insisting that Willette "deserves to have the actual person who is guilty behind bars."
"I know right now no one in the family is going to believe me," Michaels said. "I know right now no one in the family feels that I am innocent at any point, and I understand that, but I can actually prove my innocence. I actually can. And I'm not going to stop fighting to prove my innocence."
Michaels still asked to cancel her plea deal following a warning from Judge Tierra Jones that her charges would be upgraded to first-degree murder if she chose to move forward.
Prior to this, Michaels addressed Deputy District Attorney John Giordani during her statement, claiming "things are altered." The judge interjected shortly after, telling Michaels not to address Giordani.
Michaels' lawyer previously suggested that evidence in her case had been tampered with during a June hearing, but her previous lawyer testified against the claim, as reported by Courthouse News Service.
In a previous interview with police, Michaels allegedly said that a child custody issue meant "she needed the victim out of the way." Giordani said that although Michaels did not admit to decapitating Willette, she reportedly admitted to delivering the blow that killed him.
Following her plea deal reversal, Michaels' attorney withdrew from the case. Her next hearing has been set for July 31.
Originally published on Latin Times
