Editor’s Note: Follow live updates on the verdict in the Larry Millete murder trial here.
Chula Vista jurors have decided the fate of Larry Millete, the husband accused of murdering his wife, Maya, in 2021.
The decision comes more than five years after the mother of three walked into her San Miguel Ranch home and was never seen or heard from again.
In just minutes, jurors will reveal if they’ve found Larry guilty of one of four charges: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter. Or they could tell the court that the prosecution didn’t meet its burden to prove he did it beyond a reasonable doubt, and find him not guilty.
Watch NBC 7’s live coverage of the verdict in the player above or wherever you stream. NBC 7 is bringing you live coverage of court proceedings now. Follow along with live updates here.
A case based solely on circumstantial evidence
Over the course of 25 days of testimony, the prosecution worked hard to leave no doubt in the minds of jurors that Maya was murdered by her husband, Larry. That case, based wholly on circumstantial evidence, didn’t provide verified information about when Maya died, how she died, or what happened to her body.
Instead, deputy district attorney Christy Bowles laid out a roadmap of digital evidence and testimony that revealed Larry’s desperation to save his marriage. Bowles said when he was no longer able to control Maya, he turned to online spellcasters, subliminal messages, and digital tracking.
Prosecutors said another key component of Larry’s spiralling behaviors was an affair between Maya and a subordinate coworker. Many of those sordid details were revealed for the first time during the trial, including evidence that Maya opted to terminate a pregnancy that resulted from that affair.
Bowles said Larry’s desperation reached its limit on January 7, 2021, when Maya told him in no uncertain terms that she would be filing for divorce. Jurors were shown emails and text messages in Larry’s own words from that day where he said, “I’m shaking inside and ready to snap,” and “I’m about to lose it.”
Though neighborhood surveillance cameras recorded Maya entering her home that evening, none left evidence of her leaving. In their only testimony offering an answer to that puzzle, Larry’s defense attorneys said that was because Maya left the home on her own accord, taking a route that avoided being captured on more than a half dozen cameras.
Larry Millete is accused of killing his wife, Maya, in 2021 and hiding her body. The prosecution spent 24 days presenting its case to the jury. The defense spent three hours making its case. As jurors begin deliberations, we spoke with a panel of experts to break down the testimony.
They said that route involved scaling the family’s backyard fence, navigating down a drainage ditch, then hiking along a mountain trail to any number of neighborhood exits. The defense didn’t provide any testimony for Larry’s whereabouts the day after Maya was seen alive.
Prosecutors highlighted evidence of a 12-hour gap for Larry on January 8, 2021. They said his phone went dark for that span of time and his SUV had more than 400 unaccounted-for miles.
They said those numbers led them to believe he’d traveled to a desert area he was familiar with along the California-Arizona border. In a still-unknown spot, they said he disposed of Maya’s body.
Larry opted not to take the stand in his own defense. That’s despite two jailhouse interviews with NBC 7 Investigates where he repeatedly dodged questions about his whereabouts, telling us he couldn’t wait to share his story during the trial.
Larry Millete told NBC 7 Investigates’ Alexis Rivas that he feels he’s not getting a fair trial, an assessment he shared just hours after a dramatic episode on Tuesday that cleared the courtroom – one that still has legal experts talking.