The conviction of Larry Millete Thursday was a moment Maya’s family has been hoping and praying for since they began to suspect he was responsible for his wife’s disappearance five and a half years ago. For those loved ones, it’s been one of many milestones along an emotionally difficult road.
It is by no means the end of their journey, which may never include the kind of closure they deserve. Maya is still missing and only Larry can tell investigators what he did with her body.
The first-degree murder conviction handed down Thursday is also not the final time Larry will be back inside a Chula Vista courtroom. He still needs to learn how long he’ll be sent to prison – which is 25 years to life.
Sentencing hearings are also often emotional moments, where loved ones are allowed to directly confront killers with victim impact statements.
Typically, sentencing hearings in cases like these are often delayed by weeks or even months when defense attorneys file appeals. In this case, sentencing won’t happen for another reason – a second criminal trial.
Larry Millete’s second criminal trial
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This photo evidence from Larry Millete’s preliminary hearing, shows one of the firearms that police seized from his home.
Larry Millete was not only charged with murder, but with possession of an unregistered assault weapon. Chula Vista police detectives seized that weapon, and other guns, when Larry was served a gun violence restraining order on May 7, 2021.
That gun charge wasn’t mentioned once during his murder trial, because his defense attorneys successfully argued to exclude it – a legal process called bifurcation. Essentially, the gun charge could be tried separately because it wasn’t relevant to the murder case.
Following his guilty verdict, prosecutors told Judge Enrique Camarena they were still pursuing the gun charge. Millete opted to have that case decided by bench trial – testimony and evidence will be presented, but the judge will deliver the verdict instead of a jury.
For the moment, there’s only one court date on the calendar, a status hearing on July 20, where attorneys will work out the details for that future trial. Until that process happens, Maya’s family is forced to keep waiting for the next milestone.