CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Maya Millete's older sister, Maricris Drouaillet, is speaking out for the first time since a jury convicted Maya's husband, Larry Millete, of first-degree murder in Maya's death.
A day after the verdict, Drouaillet says the family is back home in Riverside County, still processing a decision they say came down faster than they ever expected.
"Shocked in a way that it took so fast for the verdict," Drouaillet said.
Drouaillet, who led the charge in finding justice for the mother of three, says she has mixed feelings about the outcome. She says the verdict is a little bit of justice, but the search for Maya's body continues.
"It was sad. And at the same time, I'm happy that, you know, we're bringing justice to my sister," Drouaillet said.
Drouaillet and her husband, Richard, who have custody of Maya and Larry's three children, say the children, two of whom are now teenagers, know about the verdict in their father's case. The family hopes to now have a more honest conversation with them about what happened to Maya.
"We've waited for 5 years to tell them that their mom never leave them. She never left them," Drouaillet said.
"There's no winning in this. Nobody won. It's still a tragedy, you know, my nieces and nephew lost their mom, and now, you know, they lost another parent too," Drouaillet said.
Drouaillet and Richard say they are thankful to prosecutors, investigators, and the entire community for their help in the search for Maya.
Despite the guilty verdict, the family's focus remains on finding Maya's body and on the hope that Larry will now tell them where she is. Millete faces 25 years to life in prison, and his defense team is expected to appeal.
"Hopefully he'll give us where my sister is and let his children know where their mom is. That's my ultimate, you know, hope," Drouaillet said.
Maricris and Richard say searches for Maya's body will continue in the near future, after the prosecution revealed during trial a more exact location of where they believe Maya was buried.
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