‘Very shocking’: Mother of Henderson man killed and decapitated talks about finding body

The mother of a man found decapitated in Henderson testified Friday about discovering her son’s body and noticing, days later, that a large knife had disappeared from her kitchen.

It was “very shocking,” said Yoko Willette, who spoke in court through a Japanese interpreter.

Devyn Michaels, 47, is currently on trial, accused of killing her on-again, off-again boyfriend Johnathan Willette in August 2023. Investigators have never located the head or the murder weapon.

Stephanie Yagi, a medical examiner for the Clark County coroner’s office, told jurors Friday that the decapitation occurred after Willette’s death.

At the time of the killing, Michaels was living with and married to Deviere Willette, Willette’s son, lawyers said earlier this week.

Yoko Willette said her son Johnathan Willette lived with her, but planned to move in with Michaels and the children he and Michaels shared.

In a recording played for jurors Friday, Michaels could be heard telling police: “He asked me to marry him yesterday,” in an apparent reference to Johnathan Willette.

On Aug. 6, 2023, the day before the gruesome discovery, Yoko Willette said her son Johnathan was packing and had a moving trailer. She indicated that he and Michaels went out around 8 p.m., then returned at about 10 p.m.

Yoko Willette said she stayed up for a few hours and went downstairs around 1 a.m. The light was on in Johnathan’s room. She found Michaels in the kitchen and said Michaels seemed surprised to see her. Michaels told her that John had been drinking and went to bed, she said.

Then, at about 2 a.m., Yoko Willette said she heard “some strange noise” that sounded like a bang. She also indicated she heard dogs barking in the yard, which wasn’t normal because Johnathan Willette normally kept them inside late at night.

When she woke up in the morning, she said she saw her son’s truck outside and felt “something strange.” She called to him and he did not answer. She looked around his room and did not see him.

On a later visit to his room, Yoko Willette said she noticed her son was wrapped in a blanket. She opened the blanket and saw a lot of blood, she testified.

After calling 911, police arrived, she said, interviewed her and searched the house. Days later, she realized a large knife was missing from her kitchen, she said.

Michaels pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge in connection with Willette’s death, then withdrew her plea on the day she was supposed to be sentenced after insisting she could prove her innocence.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich tried to point out inconsistencies between Yoko Willette’s testimony and prior statements.

She told Draskovich on cross-examination that she could not recall telling police she heard dogs barking at 3 a.m., as he indicated she had.

“And when you talked to detectives, you didn’t talk about some bang or anything, did you?” he asked. “That’s new today.”

“My emotional situation was a little bit unusual,” she replied.

She also said she did not remember when Draskovich tried to get her to confirm that she did not initially claim Michaels looked startled.

Yoko Willette told Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani she was interviewed by police immediately after finding her son’s body and did not have an interpreter at the time.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.