The Misery Machine - The Disturbing Case of Johnathan Willette

Episode Date: May 26, 2026

This week, Drewby and Yergy head to Henderson, Nevada, to discuss the case of 46-year-old Johnathan Willette, who became the victim of a high profile murder investigation in Augusta of 2023. His ex-girlfriend, adult film actress Devyn Michaels, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 28-years to life in prison. Johnathan's own mother discovered his decapitated, chemical-soaked body in his Henderson home. According to reports, fumes were actively coming from the body due to poured bleach and ammonia. AS of the date of this recording, Johnathan's head has never been recovered.Support Our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Materials Available Upon Request.

Jonathan James Willett was born on November 7, 1976 in Japan, to parents James and Yoko Willett. He was nicknamed John and OJ. His father was a member of the U.S. Air Force and served at the Yokoda Air Base. James and Yoko had one more child named Kenneth. The family first moved to Montana, then back to Japan before eventually settling in California. James retired from the Air Force in 1995 and the family settled in Henderson, Nevada. Yoko and James eventually divorced in 2012. When he was young, Jonathan played Little League baseball on base in Japan. He continued playing when he moved to the U.S. and joined a traveling team that took him up and down the West Coast. As a grown man, Jonathan got into the sales and marketing industries. He started out selling

time shares on the Las Vegas Strip and built a reputation for himself. He founded two companies companies of his own, J.W. Marketing and the Vegas moving guy. Been on this project for like 11, 12 days, man, but we flipped this house. Our new shit. Jonathan had one son named Devere. While Jonathan was said to be charismatic and sociable, Devere also described his father as hot-headed and having no filter. For Jonathan split with Devere's mother, he had two daughters with his girlfriend, Devin. Devin was known by three names, Tracy Nicole Tavares, Nikki Fairchild, but more commonly today, Devin Jade Michaels.

She was an adult film actress in the 2000s to the early 2010s, after which she moved into real estate. Devin and Jonathan were together from 2012 to 2018. Before she met Jonathan, Devin was married to Robert Baker, a fellow adult film actor and a convicted sex offender. Robert was married to his former stepdaughter, the same girl who had been his victim and later his wife. He was charged with inappropriate behavior with a 15-year-old, jailed and ordered to register himself.

When he was released, his victim entered the adult film industry at age 18 and ended up appearing with Robert in various adult films until she retired. A pair divorced and Robert eventually found his way to Devin. We don't know much about their relationship. They possibly met through the adult industry or through mutual connections. They did not have children together and neither has spoken about the other one public. but Robert's real claim to infamy has nothing to do with his films or his registry status. It's about an affair he had with a married woman and how he killed her husband. Fabio Simmons-Helly was a celebrity hairstylist and was married to a woman named Monica.

The couple had three children. Robert and Monica had an affair after they met in an L.A. fitness where Robert was employed at the time. Robert had put off registering himself as an offender, but that wasn't much of a deal breaker for Monica. They planned to murder Fabio so Monica could collect his life insurance policy and start a new life with Robert. Robert reached out to a friend named Christopher Austin, a parole and probation officer, to help kill Fabio and make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Robert and Christopher disguised themselves in hoodies. They broke into Fabio's home, stabbed him,

and stole his Porsche in DVR. Fabio's daughter came home only to find her father dead and bloodied in his chair. Monica tried to deny her part and Robert initially tried to protect her as well, but he eventually pled no contest and his testimony was used in the case against her. While Fabio was murdered in 2017, Robert, Monica, and Christopher weren't tried in sentence for a few years. Robert entered a no contest plea in 2023 and was sentenced to life without parole. Monica was convicted in April of 2025 and sentenced to life without parole two months later. For his cooperation, Christopher was sentenced to life but with parole after 15 years.

Devin and Jonathan were long split by the time of the events of today's story, but they maintained contact when it came to their daughters. Jonathan dated another woman, eventually proposing to her and announcing a pregnancy. When someone called for the Vegas moving guy, Jonathan's fiancé was often by his side, helping where she could. Jonathan's son was also part of his father's company. For them, the superstitions about mixing family and business were true. They had multiple disagreements over the Vegas moving guy. The tension eventually led to Devere moving out of his father and grandmother's house and into Devon's house located at 5-510 Porcupine Rim Street. He quit his father's company and got a new friend.

job as a home security and entertainment system technician. But Devin wasn't doing this out of some sense of family duty. The two of them were not living as roommates or friends. She and Devere had an affair behind Jonathan's back starting when Devere was 19 years old. Devin and Devere married in 2021. They both claimed their marriage was one of convenience. Devin had medical issues and marrying Devere made it easier for him to assist her as her spouse. It was the final nail in the coffin for Jonathan and Devere's relationship. According to Devere, he and Jonathan went mostly no contact after he married Devin, his former de facto stepmother.

Angry, Jonathan texted Devere in all caps. WTF, I thought you were my seed. If what I know, I can't with you. And even after this blowout, nothing changed. There were no birthday calls, no New Year's text, no apologies, nothing. The last text Jonathan sent to DeVir, was a simple hay with no response back. Here would later testify in court about his relationship with his father and Devin, who was referred to as Nikki in the testimony.

Did there come a point in time when you're living with him at Paladura and working, that you guys have some disagreements about work and other stuff? Yes, sir. Would you consider your dad to have been a hard-headed person? Yes, sir. Okay. Was he an opinionated guy? Yes, sir. Okay. Did you ever tell your dad that you had been having a relationship with the father of his other children. The mother, Jesus, I said, father. No, sir.

I apologize. Knowing your dad, as you did, if he had known you were having a sexual relationship with his mother of his children, is he the type of guy that would have just said nothing and let it go? Yes, sir. Did there come a point in time when the family court became involved in custody of the children? Yes, sir. Did Nikki lose custody of the children? Yes, sir.

Was this before or after you married, if you remember? After. So after you married, Nicky is when the custody thing happened. Yes, sir. Prior to that, were the girls living with you and Nikki at Porcupine Rim for however long you were living there? Yes, sir. Okay. When you're having this relationship with Nikki, is it a tumultuous relationship?

Okay. Is there a lot of kind of arguing and back and forth, or you described it from me? There was arguing. Were there times in which you, yourself, were trying to get out of this relationship? Yes, sir. describe that how many times, what's going on in your head at this time? That's the result of these. I've had to fill some shoes and have to business. Who shoes?

All the ways. Okay. So we said that you were trying to fill some shoes that you had no business time. It's not there? Yes, sir. As a result of that, did you start to get a little uncomfortable and attempt to leave a couple of months? Yes, sir. Devin and Jonathan met up often in family courts over the custody of their daughters.

They had joint custody for the time, but Jonathan was, actively trying to become his daughter's sole guardian. In the meantime, Jonathan moved back in with his mother, Yoko. His daughters came with him, staying with her grandmother from about November of 2022 to May of 2023. They had bedrooms on the second floor while Jonathan slept on the ground floor. On the outside, it appeared the animosity suddenly stopped. Devin and Jonathan supposedly agreed to share a home so that their daughters could stay in one place. Though Devin later said she was doing a favor for Jonathan, she alleged that Jonathan and his fiancé were going through a rough patch.

Devin also claimed she didn't think Jonathan was actually going to move in with her. The topic came up a few times, but they didn't make any plans together. She said that it wasn't until he brought his Vegas moving guide trailer to her home with her daughter's furniture and his belongings, that she realized that he was serious. Around this time, Devin sent Devere a few emotionally charged messages that read, Liar, Cheater, liar, cheater, liar, cheater, I want a divorce. And, yep, stupid me for wanting a gentleman for a husband instead of a belching slob.

I will just keep my distance. Based on context, we can only assume Devin had a problem with Devere's drinking habits, spending habits, and general immaturity. Devin did not seem to think that a man 20 years her junior would act like someone 20 years her junior. In a conversation between the two of them, DeVier said, the reason why we haven't had a divorce yet is because we actually love each other. But at the end of the day, I don't need you, I want you. I have adapted and overcame plenty of situations that I have put myself in.

So it would hurt if it happened, but I would be fine. I don't need fancy things for status symbols if the bills are paid. And I have my little fixes here and there. That's a happy life to me because what you buy doesn't define who you are as a person. It just shows you make this paper that creates fake emotions of happiness. But I guess that works for some people. Three hours later, Devin, the person who was 20 years older, responded to this reasonably mature text with an even more mature. WTFR you.

You obviously ain't home, exclamation, exclamation, exclamation, but you ain't cheat. Devere saw his father on August 6, 2023 hauling furniture into Devin's house. At that time, they did not speak to each other. Later that evening, Jonathan and Devin visited Yoko after getting their back-to-school shopping done and relocating their daughter's things to Devin's home. At around 1 in the morning on the 7th, Yoko found Devin in the kitchen washing dishes. Devin said that Jonathan had gotten drunk and went to sleep. Late at night, their daughters woke up and realized she had,

hadn't returned home. They tried calling her at least three times and got sent to voicemail. The audio is hard to understand at times, but they asked her to police call back and that they're worried that she got into a car accident. That call was later played in court and will play a small clip for you now. Around 3 a.m., around 3 a.m., Yoko heard her dogs barking, but she ignored the commotion. After sunrise, she found her dogs were locked outside of the house. Jonathan's truck was still parked in her driveway, and his desk chair had been knocked over.

Yoko entered her son's home around 8.30 in the morning on August 7, 2023. She found Jonathan in his makeshift bedroom. His head was no longer attached to his body and was missing. She called the police at 840. Officers found emptied bottles of ammonia and bleach next to the bed. The body was smoking, as they described it. Yoko later testified about what she saw in court via a Japanese interpreter. And then what did you do?

And then what did you do? So, uh, more so they're all wrapped up, so just like, just up it, then just a bit of the, I went to the, his bedroom. his bedroom and the wrap he was he was wrapped by the blanket and then but she could see that the whole part of the she just opened that that blanket and

then could see that the part of that the feet the feet okay what did you do next so that was the bed on the whole just She tried to move to go to and then, I went to a lot of the so he went to go to the She tried to move the

the other side of the bed showing the head site and then before that she saw many blood. Many blood? Many blood? Many blood? And then so she went back upstairs

and then called that 9-1-1-1. Okay. Officers interviewed Devin in her home. She said she left Jonathan's house the night before. She told officers she had no idea he had died or how or if anyone who would want to hurt him. Last time she saw him, she said he was smoking a cigarette in his garage.

She added that he went clothes shopping a few days prior and was threatened by a stranger, but the store's surveillance footage didn't have anything like that on record. Devin and Jonathan's daughters approached officers with Jonathan's bloody and crack cell phone. They had found it in the driveway next to Devin's SUV. It's got a search warrant to look inside the house and found more of his things in Devin's. bedroom like his wallet keys and his license. Devin owned at least three weapons, katanas, which were photographed but not taken into evidence. These were characterized later as prop weapons. The day after she found Jonathan's body, Yoko realized a meat cleaver she owned wasn't in its

usual spot in her kitchen. She alerted the investigators to this. As more evidence came in, Devin emerged as the sole suspect. It's worth remembering that polygraph tests are largely considered pseudoscience by psychological experts and work more as a tool for interrogation than a reliable indicator of guilt. She did agree to a polygraph test on the 15th. The results noted a significant reaction after a question about if she participated in any way in the death of Willett. Devin admitted after her polygraph test that she had Jonathan lied down on his stomach. While he lay face down, she struck him with a stick she described as something candlestick light. On that, That particular night, she claimed he got aggressive after she refused to be intimate with him.

She accused him of hurting her, their daughters, and his son Devere. She said all she wanted was to hospitalize him so she could figure out what she could do with her children. Interrogators also asked if she could not recall the actual act of the murder. Devin agreed that it was very possible. Thority said that Devin used a knife and a mechanical saw to remove Jonathan's head. She placed it in a laundry basket, drove it to her home, and threw it in the trash. They suspect that she left it in her outdoor bins for the garbage truck. Jonathan's head was never recovered.

The medical examiner could not determine an official cause of death. Investigators also never located the murder weapon or the tools used in the assault. After this interrogation, Devin was arrested and booked for open murder. In Nevada and some other states, Open murder is a preliminary charge before prosecutors and a grand jury can determine the nature of the murder, whether it's first or second degree or if it's voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. Police spoke to Devin in at least six interviews spanning before and after her arrest. Detective Dennis Ozawa said that Devin used the term bye-bye when recounting how the garbage truck

took Jonathan's head away. Devin's interrogation footage and audio was uploaded to muckrock.com and is publicly available, albeit with some redacted elements. These interviews were eventually shown in court. These clips we've selected are from the first 23 minutes of an interview conducted after Devin's arrest. You want to start from on the sixth? You were hanging out with John and doing some chattel? Yes? Okay. Describe that date to me, you know, the clip number. Simple day. Okay.

school supplies. Okay. And then at night, John was moving in with you? John was moving the girl's stuff to my house. It wasn't until he had actually moved everything over until I realized he was moving some of his things over. Okay. John had been told me he was going to move, but that happened once that he had walked on before that he hadn't actually moved in things.

I wouldn't put any stuff into it. So then he knew some of his things over, that's when he realized he was going to move. That's when he realized he was actually moving his things. Yes, I remember talking to him about it. Yes, I remember talking to other people around it. But into that moment, it really wasn't something that was going to take place. Because at what point, I had three times, he wasn't going to move one time, so I just took it as it was. At early, you described something to our partner that there was, he wanted some sort of kind of,

with you? I knew that wasn't going to happen. I hit him. He was not dead. Okay. I'm going to speak with heart afterwards I left. Okay. Have you recently had a whole intimate relationship with him?

Recently. Well, within the past like months, obviously he's moving back in. You two are speaking. He's asking for his favorite. Yes, but no, we have not had interiors. No. Okay. Well, that's part of the reason we've been told otherwise by other people that he was telling the people that you two that you two at that.

that was why we're trying to clear apply some of this up. We have not had no. He'd ask you for, do you say no? As usual. Okay, and then from there, what happens? Do you know what back? So I should pop his back. Obviously, you're quite as smaller than he is.

How did you pop it back? He was laying down and pushed again, and pushed again. On the fourth line, it's supposed to pop. Okay, so if you did it's your stretch. is lower back area or something like that or standing up or something? Okay and you're just pushing us back, he agrees out. Okay, and where was that?

In the bedroom or is that? I'm sorry, but. On the floor of his room. Okay. And then from there, what happens? You went to go smoke again. Okay. I noticed that we had the rubbing his back.

As when I was rubbing his back, And that's when the field goal was coming down. Stairs. He had physical custody. What was the visitation like? Based from CPS, I was supposed to see the goals for supervised visits or therapy sessions only. And he never enrolled him. I enrolled him.

And that was it. And he said he didn't want to go through the courts anymore and wanted to be a one happy family. And we were actually... you were not perfect. You're kind of smirking a little bit while you were telling him, what kind of brought that emotion out? Because when it was all done, when he needed something, I was helping him.

No matter how much he did something, I was helping him. And everything said, thank you for helping me, thank you for helping me. And it was like, I was literally trying to move us put back together one finally. Go back to your family or get your girls back? Because my girls want everybody. You're girls. Not what you wanted. I understand it.

Devere was told that his father was murdered at one in the afternoon on August 7th. It was his grandfather who had to break the news. Short time later, he spoke to Detective Ozawa. DeVier claimed that he had been drinking before he spoke with the police, but it's unclear if the detectives knew this going into the interview. view. Check to Ozawa asked about the nature of Devere's relationship with Devin. Said they married out of convenience and not out of love. But investigators did as they always do. They looked into phone records and devices. They found very intimate and personal messages between Devin and Devere going

as far back as 2016. Jonathan's family has largely stayed out of view of the press. Only Devere and Yoko have made public appearances and that was in court offering testimony. The other exception is Jonathan's step-sister Valerie Rivera. Valerie started a now-defunct go-fund me to raise money for funeral expenses. She wrote, I am Valerie Rivera, Jonathan's step-sister. Jonathan James Wollett, OJ, passed away August 7, 23. Jonathan was loved by so many people. Jonathan had the personality and charisma that attracted everyone to him. Jonathan leaves behind two young, beautiful girls. It's father JC, mother Yoko and brother Ken and stepmother Valerie. Rest in peace, Jonathan, we all love you. With the sudden and unexpected passing of Jonathan, his family would greatly appreciate anything that you can

donate towards the many expenses that are ahead. Devin was charged with CA in October of 2022. One of her daughters had a bruise on her leg and a child care worker made a report to the police. But it would take until August 9, 2023 for her to receive her sentence. After Jonathan's murder and before her arrest, Devin was sentenced to one year of probation. Judge Mary Kay Holthus oversaw the hearing. Devin and her public defender argued that she was at low risk of reoffending. I've done counseling classes, therapy, drug tests, psych evaluations. I've done everything.

And everyone I've spoken to say, I'm not an innocent person and they don't feel there's any risk for me to her or her. would ever do this again. Given her circumstances, Devin was offered an unreasonably kind plea deal. She would only need to serve at least 15 years in exchange for a guilty plea. Devin accepted the deal at first, but revoked her plea at the last minute during her sentencing hearing in July of 2025. She sobbed her way through the withdrawal request. Jonathan Jordani, the deputy district attorney, pushed for the case to go to trial. Now, I'm warning you, this is quite unhinged and quite a doozy to watch. Very special.

No matter what I say at this moment, right now, no one in the family is going to believe me. I know right now no one in the family feels that I'm 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. innocence. I have more than enough and Jonathan deserves to have the actual person who's guilty behind bars. I was helping Jonathan. I have the, I can show that I was trying to help him.

And this, I know is hurting the family and I can see it in your faces and I know your hearts are angry and they should be. And I'm angry for you. And this is not fair to you. This has been dragging out for almost two years. It's not fair to you. And it's not fair to his children, any of them. And it's not right.

It really isn't. It's not. I've seen so much that it's just terrible. the way that they manipulated and altered and motivated things is wrong. They should not be able to do it. And they have. And for you to be able to look me in it,

I know that the things are altered and- You pled guilty, they still- Michael, you are not to address the state. You are to address the state. You are. You are. You are going to address me. What do you want to say to me?

My apologies. I wasn't trying to address the state directly. I was told. I just told one thing after another, and I truly believed that we were going to do the right thing, and it just didn't happen. I'm so sorry for all of them. I didn't do this, and I didn't do this. And I didn't know this would end up like this.

I really didn't. And I will forever apologize to the family that I don't know how to fix any of this anymore. I don't. I keep listening to what everyone tells me is the best thing to do. Just do this and it'll work out this way and follow this advice and we'll do this. And I keep listening to the people because they keep saying, This is the best advice. It doesn't turn out the way they tell me it will.

And it just gets worse and worse. And I don't know what to do it anymore. Judge, I'm not comfortable with this record. I'm willing to let it out of her plea if the court is in black. It's just this wouldn't be appropriate. I completely understand. Let's go to trial. All right.

Ms. Michael Judge said, Mr. Giadani, says that he's willing to election. out of your plea and he's willing to try this case. And you understand that. He's willing to try this case on an open murder. So a jury can convict you of a first-degree murder. Do you understand that? Or do you want to talk to Mr. Patrick about it? Well, I don't want to talk to Mr. Patrick.

He didn't listen to anything I missed. Ms. Michaels, I need you to understand what I'm saying to you and answer my question. Do you want to withdraw your plea and go to trial? Yes, please. All right? This plea is going to be withdrawn. Ms. Patrick will need you to have some good. discussions with your client about

I move to withdraw this time this case needs to go back to the point of counsel I will call you need to conduct yourself like this is a courtroom if you cannot do that then they're going to remove you because I still have business to conduct. Do you understand? Mr. Patrick? Judge, respectfully, I move to withdraw and have this case

sent back to office of appointed counsel. I am not in position to accept appointment on this case should it go to trial at this time. All right. All right, I'm going to have to reach out to the Office of Appointed Counsel and give her a lawyer that's going to be appointed with the understanding. This case, the two years old. This case is not going to sit stagnant and wait and wait and wait around for a trial. So I'm going to reach out to Ms. Bush myself and have a discussion with her in regards to the appointment of counsel

because this is not going to be, this case has been delayed extensively, and this case is not going to further be delayed so that there is no justice for everybody. Yes, Your Honor, if I may, that's one of the other reasons, because with Barry Edwards, it would be late next year before I would even consider putting this on as a trial. Well, I'll reach out to Ms. Bush. Understood. July 31st and 9 a.m. And, Your Honor, do you grab my military to drop, please?

Yes, I'm going to branch your motion to draw. Thank you. The trial began in November of 2025. In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Jordani said, buckle up because you're in for a wild ride. Remfercing a photo of Devin, Devere, and the children, Jordani told the jury, this is the future that she saw and that she wanted. And the only way to have that future was with John out of the picture.

Prosecution argued Devin did not want Jonathan in her life more than he already was. Even though she had two children with him and agreed to let him move into her home, she didn't want anything to come between her and Devere. Devin's defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, told the jury to look at the motivations and find her not guilty. He argued that Devere had more of a motive to want Jonathan dead because it meant he would have to live in a home with a father he hated or leave his wife behind. saying, what happened on August 7, 2023 was DeVir was getting kicked out.

He was no longer going to be in this relationship because dad, the dad he hated, was coming in and not only taking his home, but taking his wife. DeVir, Attorney Draskovich said, had access to the tools and the physical strength required to commit such a brutal crime. But the prosecution pushed back on these statements as DeVir was not placed at the crime scene based on phone records and surveillance footage. According to Deputy District Attorney Brittany Griffith, the mechanical saw was a one-size-fits-all kind of product. It was something anyone could use, whether you're muscular or more petite frame.

Detective Ozawa testified about his involvement in the investigation, including his searches and interviews with Devin. Attorney Draskovich asked why he and his fellow investigators didn't take the katanas in Devin's home into evidence. We're dealing with the decontation case, correct? Bear to say that samurai swords would kind of follow. into that realm of importance when it comes to a petition case. In response, Detective Ozawa said they were prop weapons, so the department didn't see a need to test them for blood or fingerprints, but he also said on the record they didn't find Jonathan's DNA in Devon's vehicle. DeVier and and Yoko were among the witnesses. They were pressed hard on the stand by attorney Draskovich. And this is the second thing about your marriage. He asked you about your marriage, correct?

And you say, yeah, we're married. Correct? And you tell the police officer that we're certified, but it's not like we're really, because she has a whole bunch of health problems, all that stuff. Remember that conversation you had with the detective? Yes, sir. So we ask you, so it's just like worked out for like insurance you're saying? And you say, well, not like anything bad, but like for the girls, correct? Yes, sir. That wasn't true, was it?

Which you were telling the detective after you're saying that you learned for the first time that your dad had been murdered, but you told him about your marriage wasn't true, was it? I was also drinking the dad on marriage. You've read through this transcript. You agree with me that you appear to be pretty coherent, correct? Then the detective asks you, but you guys, do you guys sleep in the same room and you say no, correct? Yes, sir. You guys actually did sleep in the same room.

You slept in the same bed, didn't you? Yes, sir. But when he asked if you two slept in the same room, you said no, correct? Then he asks you, are you guys intimate at all, and you say no, correct? Yes, sir. That wasn't true, was it? Yes, sir. Fair to say that you were downplaying your feelings for your wife when this detective came to ask you about the murder of your father?

Yes, sir, because I didn't know what actually happened. my father. Please say it again. Yes, sir, because I didn't actually all that happened to my brother. Okay, but you're lying to the police officer about your relationship with your wife, correct? Now, today you testified that you'd work the day before, August 6, correct? Yes, sir. But you were actually off the day before, correct? You didn't work on August 6th. But you at first tell the police officer, yeah, I worked yesterday, but they... Sorry, go, go. Is that better? If you could just please repeat your answer, I'm not trying... If you could speak up, please, please,

just repeat that last answer. I was drinking a lot in the dopamine. But you actually made the same mistake and initially told him I was working yesterday but then you corrected yourself, correct? Yes, sir. So you really weren't drinking that much because you at first said, well, I worked yesterday

and then you said, oh, actually, you know what, there's my day off, correct? Sunday, Sunday's your days off. That was 10 years ago and I was drinking very heavy, we came off all this. Okay, sir, this conversation occurred August 7th, 2023, all right?

Sorry. Or, I mean, you do, fair to say, it hasn't been that long, has it? Nothing. Now, it must be noted DeVir was never considered a suspect by the police. There was zero evidence placing him near the crime scene between August 6 and 7th. Well, Attorney Drascovich attempted to create reasonable doubt about Devin's guilt,

which is his job as a defense attorney. His efforts were not enough. Now, Yoko said she couldn't remember everything clearly. She was just too upset to do so, understandably. Attorney D' Draskovich targeted her the same way he had gone after DeVir. So just so we're clear, this idea of 3 a.m. has been talked about on two prior occasions that we're aware of, correct? In your interview and during the grand jury testimony, correct? So at the first interview, the grand jury, bye, in the time, that's right, I don't remember.

Okay. And during the grand jury proceeding, when the prosecutor told you or asked you about 3 a.m., you didn't disagree, did you? That, that the police car was a judge to say, I thought it was saying to say not I never been told that 3 o'clock from that prosecutor's. But you'll agree with me on both instances when you talked about this noise in the middle of night,

it was the dogs barking and it was unusual. Fair? No, unusual. Yes, I do. Today you talked about when you came downstairs and it was at 1 o'clock, He said that you saw Nikki and she seemed surprised, correct? That's the case in her

she said, I said, you were saying, yes. You didn't talk about her looking surprised or startled on August 7th, 23, did you? That March 7th, that's what I said. There was a lot of it.

I said, but I told her to, I met her. Okay, yeah. You said that you spoke to me, And the point I'm making is you didn't say she was startled or surprised, did you? When you were interviewed by the police. I was not going to be that way. You might have been that way, though. And when you testified before the grand jury on September 21, 2023,

you didn't talk about Nikki being startled or surprised either, did you? That's the time, that Nicky was a little bit of the thing, I didn't know what I didn't. I don't remember. Devin was found guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon after two weeks of trial. She was sentenced on January 8, 26 to 20 years to life for first-degree murder in 8 to 20 years for the use of a deadly weapon served consecutively. She was granted two years' worth of time served.

She was incarcerated in the Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center in North Las Vegas. Jonathan's funeral services were private, held on September 16, 2023 as announced by his fiancé. They were placed in the care of affordable cremation and burial services located on Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas. His obituary described him as someone who loved to talk to everyone, especially at his jobs. They refer to him as one of the most likable people on the Las Vegas strip in, someone who would help you out by giving you a job in hard times and also moving you or your possessions on a moment's notice. If Jonathan's case resonated with you, then please click here to check out the case of Hirlingar-Dulai, a young woman who came to Las Vegas with big dreams, only to have them snuffed out by a washed-up reality TV star

who worked as a self-described spiritual jigolo.