Larry Millete Murder Trial Set For Closing Arguments Tuesday

CHULA VISTA, CA — Closing arguments are scheduled Tuesday in the murder trial of Larry Millete, the Chula Vista man accused of killing his wife, who vanished more than five years ago.

Millete, 44, is charged with murdering his wife of 20 years, May "Maya" Millete, who has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021. Her body has never been found, but police and prosecutors say there is no evidence to suggest she was alive after that date.

Surveillance footage captured May entering the family's home at around 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 7, but no video footage has captured her leaving.

According to trial testimony, her last known contact with anyone was in a text message with one of her sisters at around 8:15 p.m., then her cell phone terminated all cellular connections at about 1:25 a.m. Jan. 8.

Larry -- whose phone also terminated cell connections on the morning of Jan. 8 -- allegedly left the family's home in an SUV at about 6:45 a.m. and did not return for approximately 12 hours.

Investigators have been unable to pinpoint his whereabouts during that timeframe.

Given the circumstantial nature of the case, much of the trial evidence has centered on Larry Millete's alleged motive for killing May, which prosecutors contend stemmed from May's intention to leave her husband.

The prosecution presented evidence detailing the couple's deteriorating marriage and Larry's "possessive, controlling" behavior toward May, which allegedly included tracking her whereabouts, obtaining access to her social media profiles, and controlling her finances.

As May remained resolute to leave him, prosecutors say Larry turned to "spell casters" he believed could magically influence her behavior.

Jurors were presented with a multitude of emailed requests Larry made to purported magic practitioners, which evolved over the months leading to May's disappearance from requests to make her love him again to requests to make her sick or incapacitated so she would be forced to depend on him.

In messages Larry sent to his work supervisor and to spell casters on the afternoon of Jan. 7, he wrote, "I am not right," "I'm about to lose it," and "I'm shaking inside and ready to snap."

Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles argued to jurors in her opening statement that Larry's obsessive demeanor toward his wife prior to her disappearance radically changed after she vanished, after which he "seemed unconcerned" about where his wife was, didn't take part in the numerous searches for May in the months that followed and ceased his months of requests for magic spells to be cast on her.

While the couple's close family members and friends testified that they never witnessed any incidents of domestic violence, a letter May penned to her daughters described Larry being physically abusive with her and that she wanted to ensure "he never puts his hands on me again."

"I'm literally afraid of your dad sometimes," May wrote. "He is capable of hurting me."

Prosecutors have stopped short of explicitly stating how they believe May Millete died, but testimony throughout the trial has touched on the subject of coniine, a poisonous compound found in the plant poison hemlock.

A vial containing coniine was found inside the Millete home by investigators after Larry's arrest. During the trial, Bowles questioned a witness with an expertise in poison regarding what the hypothetical effects of coniine would be on a person who is 5-foot-2 and weighs around 110 pounds, which matches May's dimensions.

Larry did not testify in the trial and his defense team called only three witnesses on the final day of testimony.

Prior to the trial's start, the defense was barred by Judge Enrique Camarena from mounting a defense that pointed to James "Jamey" Laird, a co- worker who was having an extramarital affair with May during 2020, as a potential suspect in May's death. In pre-trial filings, the defense argued Laird had a potential motive because of the implications the affair's disclosure could have on his marriage and career.

But Camarena ruled Laird's involvement in the case did not satisfy the legal standard for admitting what's known as third-party culpability evidence, stating he'd found no direct or circumstantial evidence linking Laird to May's killing.

According to testimony from Laird and Laird's ex-wife, Laird was at a hospital between Jan. 7 and Jan. 10, 2021, after his then-wife went into labor and gave birth to their child.

Larry's defense attorneys have argued outside of the presence of jurors that they had been unfairly prevented from questioning investigators about their alleged inadequacies in confirming Laird's alibi.

Laird was also the target of many of Larry's requests to spell casters, in which Larry asked for him to be "banished," "hexed" and "punished." After Jan. 7, Larry's requests to spell casters veered entirely away from his wife to spells aimed at Laird.

Larry Millete faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of May's murder.

By JASON KUROSU / City News Service