DETROIT – The Investigators at Local 4 have learned that the man charged in the deadly stabbing of Jaquoya Wix had been court-ordered to undergo mental health treatment in July.
Jaquoya Wix, 34, was killed in a random attack in an alley near Woodward Avenue and E Congress Street at around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.
Wix worked at the nearby Chipotle and was working her regular shift when she was killed.
The suspect, Devon Watson, 42, of Detroit, was tracked to the area of Woodward Avenue and State Street, where he was arrested.
He has been charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and was arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Read more --> Family remembers woman killed in random downtown Detroit stabbing
A mental health petition filed in Wayne County probate court on July 3, 2026, reveals that a nurse had observed Watson and said he appeared psychotic and needed to be hospitalized.
Watson had been brought to the emergency department by police for “acting out at a coffee shop.
Patient not making sense, appears psychotic. Does not know where he is, making nonsensical statements, like ‘I’m on menopause.’”
Those court records show that on July 13, 2026, Watson had been ordered to receive mental health treatment at Havenwyck Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Auburn Hills.
A doctor at a hospital in Trenton stated that, “Patient exhibiting acute psychosis and does not understand compromise of his mental state and make appropriate decisions.
Patient hyperverbal and unable to properly communicate.”
The doctor continued, writing that Watson was having “active delirium and tangential thinking and unable to cooperate or answer questions correctly.”
The day of the July 13 hearing, staff at Havenwyck said that Watson insisted on not appearing and that transporting him against his will to the video courtroom may place him and others at risk for serious harm.
They requested that his appearance be waived.
It was during that hearing that a Wayne County judge granted the petition, ordering treatment of up to 180 days, not to exceed 60 days.
The Investigators at Local 4 were able to find an address for Watson and went to that home on the west side of Detroit.
It was a boarding house where Watson was a former tenant. A person at the boarding house told us he was aware of his challenges.
Other residents in the area said they saw ambulances arrive to that home frequently.
One woman said he approached her while she was gardening and she felt uneasy.
A background check on Watson revealed that in 2010 he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to four years’ probation.
He’s not on Michigan’s public sex offender registry.
In 2016, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. He was sentenced to pay $275 and spend 10 days in jail.
