SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A Chula Vista man whose wife remains missing more than two years after vanishing from her home was ordered Wednesday to stand trial for her murder.
Larry Millete, 41, is charged with the murder of the mother of his three children, May "Maya" Millete, who has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021.
Despite the fact that her body has not been found, Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring cited case law allowing murder cases to proceed without the body's presence.
RELATED: Google searches 'significant' in Millete investigation, CVPD detective says
Prosecutors allege that Larry Millete killed his wife because she sought to divorce him.
During a two-week preliminary hearing, evidence and testimony were presented indicating that Larry Millete sought the assistance of family members and "spell casters" to compel May to give up her plans for divorce.
As the marriage crumbled, Larry began reaching out to several members of May's family and asked them to convince May to change her mind, according to testimony.
Those same family members testified that on prior occasions when May could not be located, Larry tended to panic and, in one instance, planted a cell phone in her vehicle in order to track her whereabouts.
After the hearing ended, Maya's sister Maricris Drouaillet spoke to ABC10News through tears.
"I don’t think there’s going to be a winner, or I don’t know how to explain it, it’s a tragedy for both sides of the family," said Drouaillet.
Drouaillet and her husband Richard were in court for the preliminary hearing every day. They say their focus is now finding Maya's body, hoping their brother-in-law of 20 years will speak up.
"Let the truth come out. Larry needs to confess, it’s time. For the kid's sake, for their mindset, for their happiness, let the kids know what happened to their mom," said Richard Drouaillet.
According to evidence presented this week, Millete spent $1,154.05 for magic spells he believed could make his wife love him and remain in their marriage. In other instances, Millete sought to have his wife injured, sick or suffer from nightmares either as a form of punishment or so she would be dependent on him, according to testimony.
After May disappeared, her family members testified that Larry did not participate in any searches for her or help spread the word of her disappearance.
He also ceased his requests for any spells to be cast on his wife after she vanished.
In ruling to hold Millete to answer for murder, Judge Moring noted, "There is a marked contrast in the defendant's actions before Ms. Millete's disappearance and afterward that provides a strong suspicion of his guilt."
RELATED: Timeline — The Search for Maya Millete
Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles argued Wednesday there was no evidence to suggest May was still alive, nor that she would voluntarily abandon her family, particularly her children. The prosecutor noted a text exchange between May and Larry in which May says she wanted to leave the marriage and was "only here for the kids."
On Jan. 8, "(Larry) is nowhere to be found," Bowles said, referencing his absence from work and numerous attempts from family and colleagues to reach him throughout that day.
Police and prosecutors allege that between 6:45 a.m. and around 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, Millete's phone was turned off and surveillance camera footage shows a black Lexus SUV, allegedly driven by Millete, leave his home at about 6:45 a.m. and return to the home at around 6 p.m.
Larry told investigators that he was at Solana Beach all day with his son, according to testimony. Det. Jesse Vicente of the Chula Vista Police Department testified that investigators could not find any evidence confirming that Millete was at the beach that day.
"May Millete did not just fall off the face of the earth," Bowles argued Wednesday. "She lived for and adored her children. She would not and did not leave, voluntarily, her children."
Larry Millete's defense attorney, Bonita Martinez, argued Larry's behavior during 2020 stemmed from an alleged affair May was having with a co- worker. She said Larry was "tormented" by the alleged infidelity and attempted to repair the marriage through counseling and other means, to no avail.
Martinez said Larry had threatened to reopen an investigation at May's prior workplace, the Navy's Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, regarding the alleged office affair.
The defense attorney said that investigation would have revealed that May had lied to NCIS.
"She was in a tight spot. She has to disappear," Martinez said.
Police witnesses testified that through surveillance footage they reviewed, there is no evidence of May ever leaving the family home after Jan. 7. Martinez said there were alternate methods of exiting the house that cameras could not capture.
The attorney said that on Jan. 8 May had complained that she couldn't get any work done at home because her young son was bothering her, so Larry took the boy to the beach.
Martinez also sajd there was no evidence of anyone witnessing Larry commit domestic violence against his wife.
"He can tell you he loves his wife very much and he did not kill her," Martinez said.
Millete was arrested in October of 2021 on suspicion of murdering May. A trial date has been tentatively set for September.
Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.
You can find the story previewing the final day of Larry Millete's preliminary hearing below.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – The preliminary hearing for Larry Millete is expected to conclude Wednesday with one final witness and a judge’s decision on whether the Chula Vista father of three should stand trial over the death of his still-missing wife Maya.
On Tuesday, a San Diego County District Attorney's Office investigator testified that Larry Millete bought numerous magic spells in the months leading up to his wife’s disappearance because he believed the spells would keep her from divorcing him.
From September 2020 until the day May "Maya" Millete vanished, her husband, paid $1,154.05 for spells he believed could make his wife love him and remain in their marriage, District Attorney's Office Investigator James Rhoades testified Tuesday. In other instances, Millete sought to have his wife injured, sick or suffer from nightmares either as a form of punishment or so she would dependent on him, according to testimony.
The number of spell purchases increased in December 2020 and through the first week of January 2021, before ceasing on Jan. 7, 2021, the day May disappeared.
Larry was arrested in October 2021 on suspicion of murdering May, who has not been seen or heard from after that day. Tuesday's testimony marked nearly two weeks of Millete's preliminary hearing, during which a judge will rule whether there is enough evidence for him to stand trial for murder.
Rhoades testified that the initial email communication investigators discovered between Millete and spell casters sought a "powerful love spell to bind my wife, May T. Millete, to me forever" and "to keep her from hurting our family even further."
He also bought spells that he hoped would punish a man he believed May was having an affair with, Rhoades testified. Some of the spells he sought were for causing "physical harm," "an accident to cripple or cause bodily harm," and giving someone cancer.
Other requests were for spells that would punish May.
One asked a spell caster to "Please give her the worst nightmares. She needs to be punished for her actions. She's too much sometimes." Another asked for spells to "focus on dominating her and for her to obey me."
In late December, he asked for spells or hexes that would have her "dependent on me and humble her down." On Dec. 27, he asked a spell caster to "make her REALLY SICK and keep her sick until she realizes that it is us, her family ... are the only ones that will be by (her) bedside on her deathbed. ... Please banish everyone from her life with the exception of us four."
Another Dec. 27 email asked to "Please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can't leave the house. It's time to take the gloves off. It's too much. She needs to be humbled down to the lowest of low."
On Dec. 31, he asked for her to be "hurt enough to depend on me. Maybe an accident or broken bone."
On Jan. 7, he told a spell caster, "I'm shaking inside and ready to snap. May's really out of control and that's an understatement. I really try and stay calm to be a better person, but too much is too much."
His last email to a spell caster before May's disappearance -- a Jan. 7, 2021 email sent at 4:40 p.m. -- sought to "make her miserable without me."
No such messages were sent on Jan. 8 and no other spells were purchased regarding May after that. On Jan. 9, he asked a spell caster to remove any hexes from May and move them to the man he believed May had an affair with.
Police and prosecutors allege that between 6:45 a.m. until around 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2021, Millete's phone was turned off. Surveillance camera footage shows a black Lexus SUV, allegedly driven by Millete, leave his home at about 6:45 a.m. and return to the home at around 6 p.m.
Rhoades testified that he conducted an analysis that cross-referenced the Lexus' mileage, cell tower records, financial activity, work schedules, witness statements, social media activity and other information to calculate how often the Milletes' vehicles were used during December of 2020 and January of 2021.
The investigator said that, based on that analysis, there were 444 to 692 miles of driving that could not be accounted for on Jan. 8.
After family members lost touch with May, her younger brother, Jay-R Tabalanza, went to the Millete house on the evening of Jan. 8 to look for her. He testified that Larry told him he had just gotten home from work.
Other evidence introduced earlier in the preliminary hearing indicated Millete did not go to work on Jan. 8.
Larry told investigators he was at Solana Beach all day with his son, according to testimony. Det. Jesse Vicente of the Chula Vista Police Department testified that investigators could not find any evidence confirming Millete was at the beach that day.
Rhoades, the final witness in the preliminary hearing, is expected to conclude his testimony on Wednesday.
