CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — 10:50 a.m. - In a new piece of evidence from the prosecution, they show photos of spell books found in the defendant's possession when police arrived at the house and began to search it. 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. They get into her room, only to see that 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.
