Jurors in the murder trial of Larry Millete were shown some of the most significant physical evidence presented so far, including voodoo dolls and spell books recovered during a search of the Millete family home.
Millete is accused of killing his wife, Maya Millete, who disappeared from the family’s Chula Vista home in January 2021. Her body has never been found. Millete has denied murdering his wife.
Testimony Tuesday focused on evidence collected during a search of the Millete home in October of 2021, the day Larry was arrested. Prosecutors worked to establish how evidence was photographed, collected, labeled, stored, and processed as part of the investigation.
Among the evidence presented to the jury were several voodoo dolls, each about 8 inches tall, along with books related to spells and magic.
The prosecution’s testimony centered on documenting the chain of custody and handling of evidence to support the credibility and thoroughness of the investigation.
This was the most thorough search of the Millete home, but it wasn’t the first. The first search warrant was served Jan. 23, 2021, about two weeks after Maya Millete’s family reported her missing.
Criminal defense attorney Isaac Blumberg, who is not involved in the case, questioned the delay in seizing certain items.
“I was shocked to find out that you have a missing person who clearly had plans for the future. You know, the moments before she’s looking for a trailer,” Blumberg said.
“What they lost in the technology of what they could have recovered that much sooner, which potentially may have led to recovery of Maya, is, I think, on everybody’s mind,” Blumberg added.
Employees from the FBI laboratory in Quantico also testified Tuesday about testing conducted on small vials of a dark brown moss-like substance that prosecutors said was recovered from the Millete home. They said one of the vials tested positive for the toxin found in hemlock, a poisonous plant. The defense pointed out that no testing was done to quantify the toxin.
Testimony about the testing of the vials is expected to continue on Wednesday morning.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.