![\"May](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/22922643721-1080pnbcstations.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt\u2019s been just over two thousand days since Maya Millete was last seen alive. Today, jurors finally began the task of determining if her husband Larry Millete is responsible for her disappearance.<\/p>\n
Jurors have sat in on 25 days of testimony \u2013 and have been inundated with more than a thousand evidentiary exhibits. It\u2019s all part of a case that\u2019s entirely circumstantial.<\/p>\n
The heart of the case \u2013 accusations that Larry Millete methodically planned the murder of his wife Maya, then disposed of her body, which has never been found. He\u2019s repeatedly said he\u2019s not responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tNBC 7NBC 7<\/p>\n
Maya and Larry Millete<\/p>\n
The prosecution said Larry snapped after he wasn\u2019t able to keep Maya from leaving their failing marriage. They said his efforts to control her included turning to online spellcasters, subliminal messages, and digital tracking.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said another key component of Larry\u2019s spiralling behaviors was an affair between Maya and a 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.<\/p>\n
If the jury decides that Larry is guilty, they have four options for a conviction: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter. Or they could tell the court that the prosecution didn\u2019t meet its burden to prove he did it beyond a reasonable doubt, and find him not guilty.<\/p>\n
First-degree murder: Jurors would need to believe that Larry not only intended to kill Maya, but also planned her death in advance.<\/p>\n
Second-degree murder: Jurors would need to believe that Larry intended to kill Maya, but that the decision to kill was made rashly.<\/p>\n
Voluntary manslaughter: Jurors would need to believe Maya\u2019s killing was intentional, but lacked premeditation, and occurred because Larry was provoked in some manner.<\/p>\n
Involuntary manslaughter: Jurors would need to believe the killing was unintentional and resulted from the defendant\u2019s recklessness or criminal negligence, such as if the juror believes Larry purposefully poisoned Maya but didn’t intend to end her life.<\/p>\n
To arrive at any of these convictions, jurors don\u2019t need to come to any particular conclusion about how Maya was killed, only that Larry is responsible.<\/p>\n
At about 3:00 p.m. today, the mission for the jury began. Deliberations are now underway.<\/p>\n
Closing arguments from the defense<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Defense](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783583658_984_Liann-Sabatini-speaks-at-Larry-Millete-status-hearing-january-8-2024.png\")
<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tNBC 7NBC 7<\/p>\n
Defense attorney Liann Sabatini speaks during a status hearing for Larry Millete on January 8, 2024.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles spent three hours delivering the prosecution\u2019s closing arguments to convict Larry. On Wednesday morning, it was the defense\u2019s turn.<\/p>\n
Liann Sabatini, one of Larry\u2019s two defense attorneys, didn\u2019t use a single visual aid during her closing argument. Instead, she spoke directly to the jury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The main theme of her speech \u2013 that the prosecution had not met its burden to prove Larry guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prosecution has the burden of proof,\u201d Sabatini said. \u201cThe presumption is that he\u2019s not guilty\u2026When you hear about the actions of what he’s done, the presumption is there is an innocent explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabatini worked to explain away many of the behaviors Larry exhibited in 2020. Behaviors the prosecution said indicated premeditated murderous intent. The defense said Larry was being gaslit by May that entire year, who repeatedly denied the affair.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s experienced heartbreak and betrayal, while he\u2019s being gaslit…that\u2019s going to send you into a tailspin,\u201d Sabatini said. \u201cAny normal human being is going to deteriorate when their heart is involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
With no support from friends and family, Sabatini said Larry turned to online spellcasters who created a safe space for his desperate feelings and perhaps even exploited them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we saw, though, from spells\u2026he\u2019s pouring his heart out, and they are validating him,\u201d Sabatini said. \u201cThey are saying, \u2018Yes, we might need a stronger spell.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The defense attorney also poked holes in the prosecution\u2019s theory that Larry poisoned Maya. Sabatini said it was unreasonable to believe that Larry was enough of a mastermind to pull off the perfect murder, but leave behind the murder weapon for police to find months after they started investigating.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis whole theory is silly,\u201d Sabatini said.<\/p>\n
Sabatini offered two possible theories \u2013 that his children collected the plants because they liked the flowers, or that Larry intended to use the poison to take his own life.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine being at your lowest of low that you are contemplating suicide\u2026and accused of homicide,\u201d Sabatini said. \u201cIt\u2019s outrageous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sabatini then reiterated the defense\u2019s narrative that there\u2019s no proof that Maya was even dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo murder weapon. No crime scene. No confession. No eyewitnesses. No body,\u201d Sabatini said. \u201cDo not let them shift their burden to you. They have to prove it. The only thing they’ve proven is that Larry is a human being.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLarry 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.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
A final rebuttal from the prosecution<\/p>\n
In criminal trials, the prosecution always gets the last word, because they have the burden to prove their case. In her response, Bowles\u2019 voice often rose in volume as she attacked the defense\u2019s arguments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were several statements made by the defense, \u2018In my opinion. Could have. Maybe.\u2019 That is speculation!\u201d Bowles said. \u201cYou have to base your decision on the facts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bowles then told jurors they needed to see the total picture \u2013 to add up all the evidence and come to the only reasonable conclusion. She said that a person would have to believe a long series of coincidences for Larry to not be guilty of the crime.<\/p>\n
She then went through a list of the evidence:<\/p>\n
He is the only person with motive and opportunity<\/p>\n
He expressed intent to hurt her<\/p>\n
He repositions his car at 6:00 a.m. the morning after she was last seen<\/p>\n
His whereabouts are unknown for hours<\/p>\n
He turned off his phone all day long<\/p>\n
He gave conflicting statements about his whereabouts<\/p>\n
He deleted messages, searches, and location history<\/p>\n
He asked to get his SUV detailed to fix mysterious scratches<\/p>\n
He had the car washed multiple times after Maya vanished<\/p>\n
He searched for ways to kill<\/p>\n
He had poison in his possession that he\u2019d researched thoroughly online<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s either the unluckiest person in the world, or he\u2019s guilty of murder,\u201d Bowles said. \u201cMay[a] Millete found her voice. Finally\u2026and the defendant silenced it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been just over two thousand days since Maya Millete was last seen alive. Today, jurors finally began…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157957,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64525,74,76,75],"class_list":["post-391766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-maya-millete","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}