SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – After nearly two weeks of testimony, the preliminary hearing to determine if Larry Millete will face a trial could potentially conclude on Tuesday.
Larry Millete is accused in the death of his wife Maya, who has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021.
On Monday, investigators from the Chula Vista Police Department took the witness stand and were asked by both prosecutors and the defense about their investigation findings.
CVPD Det. Jesse Vicente said his team of investigators wanted to interview the couple’s three children because they could have been the last ones to see Maya.
However, Vicente said Larry would not allow it.
"An interview with a professional could provide us with clues to her location and the odd chance that she may have given them information as to if she was planning on leaving or going somewhere,” Vicente said on the witness stand Monday.
Through testimony from Maya’s co-workers, friends, and family members, the public has learned more about Maya’s concerns about her husband’s behavior.
In one example, a good friend testified that Larry had gained access to Maya’s social media accounts and messaged her friends, acting as Maya and sending messages as himself.
Throughout the hearing, investigators shared details about surveillance footage they obtained and interviews with witnesses that may have raised red flags.
In court last week, Vicente described surveillance video that captured activity outside of the Millete home on the morning of Jan. 8, 2021 -- just hours after Maya was last seen.
The video showed someone come out of the family’s Chula Vista home, reposition a Lexus in the driveway and showed movement around the car.
Investigators said the surveillance footage showed the Lexus left the neighborhood for a 12-hour period, and the next day, another security camera captured Larry going to a neighbor to ask for help with his car.
“He basically asks a neighbor to detail his car, the Lexus specifically, because it was scratched during an Anza-Borrego Jeep trip,” Vicente testified.
Vicente also described a meeting with Larry in which investigators asked to look at his cell phone. While Vicente said Larry was cooperative, he said investigators noticed not all messages on the phone were there.
"On his phone, there were no messages to January 9th. He told me that he had to delete those messages between he and his wife to save space in his phone,” Vicente said in court.
Larry Millete’s attorney, Bonita Martinez, has pressed investigators about Maya’s alleged affair and tips about possible sightings of her in other cities, as well as the possibility Maya may have left the family home through a back-door balcony.
