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.