CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — 3:49 p.m. - The judge adjourned court for the day, saying he needed to discuss with the attorneys and decided to break up the first witness statement in the morning.
3:47 p.m. - The defense rests its opening case, and the prosecution is calling its first witness. The judge requested a sidebar with the defense and prosecution.
3:45 p.m. - The defense continues to poke holes in the prosecution's evidence, detailing two cell phone analyses, one of which put Maya at her house, and another which put her in the middle of the street on Hunt Parkway Road. They continue to allege that detectives failed to investigate Maya's affair partner, who had previously said, "If this ever gets out, my life will be over."
3:40 p.m. - The defense continues by alleging that the lead detective on the case testified that Maya was not having an affair, despite reviewing evidence and messages that the defense says are explicit. The defense also says that the detectives never accessed photos of Maya and her affair partner, even though they were locked in a separate app.
3:29 p.m. - The defense affirms the juror's ability to evaluate evidence and argues that the case remains unsolved. The defense also says that a portion of the surveillance footage is missing - a piece of evidence that the prosecution relied on. They also talk about Conium, the Hemlock poison found in the small vial in a search in October of 2021. Ryan also said that the tests for the poison hemlock were not as conclusive as the prosecution may have wanted the jurors to believe, with only one out of four tests coming up conclusive for Hemlock or Conium.
3:10 p.m. - Court resumes with the defense statements. The defense began by focusing on the affair, saying that the investigators failed to fully investigate the affair. They say it was the mother of the man Maya was having an affair with who opened the investigation into improper workplace behavior. Colby Ryan began the opening statements, representing Mr. Millete.
2:40 p.m. - The prosecution wraps their opening statement by underlining their main point - that Maya was making plans for her life, and did not leave her beloved children and the career she worked hard to build. The court takes a break after the prosecution's opening statements.
2:31 p.m. - The prosecution circles back to the day that Maya Millete disappeared, saying now that police also found a small vial with the same chemical compound as Hemlock. They also say that the same Google account used for the whistleblower email sent to Maya's boss was also used to research hemlock poisoning.
2:23 p.m. - The prosecution continues by detailing Maya's affair, saying that Larry called the wife of the man she was having an affair with days before the wife was due with a baby, detailing Maya's affair. The prosecution says that the man and his wife will testify.
2:15 p.m. - The prosecution is laying out the day-by-day timeline leading up to May's disappearance in 2021. In December of 2020, Maya begins making plans to leave, while Larry is still trying to cast spells to get her to stay, including trying to "hex" his wife to hurt her so she would stay. During this time, Maya was also seeing a therapist. The prosecution shows a Christmas picture with the family, who say there was obvious tension at the time. In December, the prosecution also showed Larry's Google searches, which included "how much of a drug can I use to incapacitate someone?"
2:03 p.m. - The prosecution begins to lay out Larry's attempt to control his wife by casting spells, including a "banishment" spell for the man he believed Maya was having an affair with and others for promotions, success and love.
2:00 P.M. - The prosecution begins to lay out the evidence found in Maya's secret Instagram account, where she messages a man named and uses it as a digital journal, alleging that her husband is poisoning her, posts screenshots of her messages with Larry. On August 12th, Larry drilled a hole in Maya's door to get inside. The prosecution continues to tell the story of an escalation between the couple, saying Maya called the marriage "toxic and mentally abusive."
1:46 p.m. - Court is back in session. Prosecution continues by reading Maya's journal entries, some of which are addressed to her children. In some of the entries, the prosecution says Maya alleges her husband is physically and verbally abusive.
12:00 p.m. - Court breaks for lunch.
11:55 a.m. - The prosecution says that Larry had tried to message the friends Maya was confiding in, asking them to help save his marriage, admitting that he wasn't the best husband at times. Larry had also messaged Maya's boss, asking that a man named Eric Cogan be removed from any contact with Maya. Later, a whistleblower account alleged that Maya and Eric had broken workplace rules together. The prosecution says that Maya then began to find her independence, moving to JayR and Genesis's house in May and June of 2020. The prosecution says Genesis and Maya were close friends. They also say that Larry had taken detailed notes of Maya's movements and had pleaded with Genesis and JayR, trying to get them to help save the marriage.
11:50 a.m. - The prosecution continues by showing messages between Maya and her friends and describing her relationships with friends and coworkers, in which she confided in them, expressing concern about her marriage. One of her friends, Jasmine, said that Maya told her Larry had said, "I'll never let you leave me, and if you try to leave, no one will ever find you." They also spoke about Maya's affair with another married coworker, which is "not to be condoned," but that it gave Maya a chance to experience love, mutual respect and kindness in a relationship.
11:38 a.m. - The prosecution continues by detailing a ten-month-long investigation, saying that Larry Millete seemed unconcerned during this time. They say that law enforcement combed through her messages, Facebook and Instagram to put together the pieces of the year prior to her disappearance. The common theme of the prosecution is that "May had plans," a thread prosecutors continue to pull on throughout the story they tell.
11:35 a.m. - The judge began by reminding people not to talk about the case in the hallway. Prosecution resumed by discussing the publicity the family sought to find Maya.
11:30 a.m. - Court is still on break.
10:55 a.m. - Jury asks to use the restroom. A 15-minute break ensues.
10:50 a.m. - In a new piece of evidence from the prosecution, they show photos of spell books found in the house when police arrived at the house and began to search it. The prosecution says Larry was trying to keep his wife in love with him by casting spells in these books, desperate to keep her from leaving him. They also find a letter from Maya to Larry, in which she says she wants to leave him and find her peace without him. No other obvious pieces of forensic evidence were found, though they noted that it didn't seem that Maya had attempted to pack anything.
10:46 a.m. - The prosecution begins to lay out Maya's family's experience of that day. They say the family was concerned after not hearing from Maya all day, when she had made plans to go to Big Bear. One of Maya's brothers, Jay-R, comes to the house and asks where Maya is, only for Larry to say he had been out in the desert all day with his son, that he had gotten in a fight with Maya and didn't believe he was invited to Big Bear, and that Maya was probably in her room. Maya's other brother and father show up and wait for Maya. The prosecution says they enter her room, only to find she is not there. Larry says she must have gone on a hike. That night, Maya's oldest sibling calls the police, asking for a welfare check. The prosecution plays the 9-1-1 call, during which concern is audible.
10:27 a.m. - The prosecution continues to lay out the timeline of the night of Maya's disappearance by showing surveillance video and by going through her cell phone activity. Cell phone activity terminated at 1:25 in the morning at the house. Larry Millete appears to be focused on the monitor in front of him as the video plays. The video shows Larry backing his Lexus SUV into the driveway, pulling it into the street, turning it around and then leaving about 40 minutes later. The prosecution says that Larry was gone for twelve hours.
10:12 a.m. - The prosecution begins to get into the details of the moments leading up to Maya's disappearance. Maya had made plans to go to Big Bear for her daughter's birthday, but disappeared days before those plans. They also talked about her communications with divorce attorneys, who saw "red flags" and asked her to come in the next day. Not wanting to change her plans for her daughter's birthday, Maya made an appointment with attorneys on January 12th. The prosecution moved on to showing the ring camera video where Maya was last seen, cleaning out her Jeep and then taking it to the car wash with two of her children. She is then seen walking inside her home from her neighbor's camera after returning home.
10:07 a.m. - The prosecution moves on to describing Maya, a woman who was proud of her career as a contract specialist with the Department of Defense and proud of her family. Describing the last outing the family had before the death of Maya, the prosecution says that Maya confided in her sister, saying the divorce would be "messy." Maya's family members can be seen crying in the courtroom.
10:03 a.m. - The prosecution began its opening statement by talking about Maya Millete's plans to experience outdoor adventures with her children and then moved to her plans to divorce her husband. The prosecution called the marriage "unhealthy" and "toxic," saying that for the defendant, divorce was not an option, and that for him, he would rather kill her than let her leave. During their opening statement, the prosecution showed multiple photos of Maya.
9:53 a.m. - The judge is finished instructing jurors, and the trial is moving to opening statements.
9:39 a.m. - Court is in session. Larry Millete can be seen wearing a maroon sweater and wearing a hearing aid. Liann Sabatini and Colby Ryan are representing the defense, while Christy Bowles and James Rhoades are representing the prosecution. Alternate juror 1 did not show up for the trial due to illness.
9:25 a.m. – Dozens of people are outside the courtroom, waiting for opening statements to begin. Even though it was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., such delays in hearings are normal. The court has been determining media seating and seating for family members. There are supporters of both Larry Millete and Maya Millete here at court.
