Devon Burkes (Megan Park) is the main villainess of the 2010 Lifetime film The Perfect Teacher (airdate September 12, 2010).
The spoiled daughter of neglectful workaholic Reid Burkes, and her mother having died when she was young, Devon was used to getting anything she wanted. She was also the best friend of Kinsey Ray and the rival of classmate Apple. Devon showed her first sign of villainy by pouring a chemical into her father's girlfriend's makeup.
Devon immediately became interested in her new math teacher (and main protagonist) Jim Wilkes, who was also serving as the school's volleyball coach. To get closer to him, Devon became his assistant on the volleyball team. Devon started her plan of winning over Jim by making a copy of his house keys and breaking in one night, stealing Jim's credit card and looking on with envy as Jim and his girlfriend Rachel returned home from a date and got intimate. She revealed her plans of getting together with Jim to Kinsey, who encouraged her at first until she realized she was taking it too far. Devon continued to manipulate herself into Jim's life by picking up his daughter Annique from school one day during volleyball practice, and later joining her and Jim at an ice cream store.
While on a trip to a volleyball game, Devon went to Jim's hotel room, crying and claiming to have just been dumped by her boyfriend. Jim comforted her and said that Devon would be better off with someone who was more mature, unwittingly encouraging Devon's obsession. But when they got back to Jim's room and Devon was getting ready to kiss Jim, his phone went off and he went into his room. Angry, Devon called Kinsey and became infuriated when she said she would have to call her back, ending their friendship. When Devon learned that Jim was planning to move to San Diego so he could stay close to Annique with his ex-wife Marissa moving for a new job, the evil Devon killed the woman by hitting her with her car while she was out jogging. After the funeral, Devon came to Jim's house with a gift for Annique and confessed her attraction to Jim. Jim tried to politely let Devon down easy, but she became angry and accused Jim of lying to her, leading Jim to force Devon to leave.
Scorned, Devon accused Jim of forcing her to have sex with him to the police, leading to Jim's arrest. But after Jim was released and Devon saw Kinsey going to make a statement to the police, Devon picked up Annique from school and called Jim from school receptionist Sue's phone, telling him to meet her at a park and threatening to harm his daughter if he tried to call the police. Once he arrived there, Devon broke down and revealed how she knew she was in love with Jim and how she had killed Marissa to protect him. Jim acted as though he agreed to Devon's plan to a life together, getting Devon to say she had Annique at home with her maid Rosa before revealing he had the police listening in, and had heard Devon's confession of killing Marissa. Devon, shocked at this, demanded why Jim did this, and Jim renounced his love for her and denounced her as a "crazy, delusional killer" who will never again be in Jim's life. As the police arrived, Jim dragged Devon towards the cops as they handcuffed and arrested her, all while the psychotic villainess broke down in a crying fit, begging in vain for Jim to help her and screaming to be released as she is dragged away.
With her love for Jim permanently shattered, Devon is convicted of murdering Marissa and sent to prison, and the final scene showed Devon talking with her prison psychiatrist Dr. Erickson, expressing remorse over her evil actions and then going on to seduce the doctor. This turns out to be a fantasy Devon is having, as in real life, the doctor comes into the room to speak with Devon for another prison session.
Trivia[]
- Megan Park appeared as Bev Van Ravensway in the 2011 movie, A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song.