Defense says Larry Millete was emotionally abused by wife as murder trial goes to jury

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (CN) — The attorney representing the Southern California man accused of murdering his wife after months of obsessing over her and casting magic spells to keep her in his life portrayed a much more sympathetic version of the man on Wednesday.

Larry Millete, 44, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Maya Millete, who was 39 years old when she was last seen. But Larry Millete was a victim too, defense attorney Liann Sabatini told jurors in San Diego Superior Court in Chula Vista during the conclusion of a six-week trial.

Contrasting Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles during Tuesday’s closing arguments, Sabatini provided jurors a new narrative that cast Larry Millete as a troubled, tormented man whose wife was having an affair and who has been unfairly cast as a villain in a trial that relies too heavily on circumstantial evidence.

“I do want to take a moment to honor Maya Millete. She is loved by a ton of people in this courtroom and outside of this court,” Sabatini said. “We acknowledge her humanity. What I hope is not forgotten is that he is human too.”

Sabatini implored jurors to consider that Larry Millete’s purportedly obsessive behavior and paranoia was a result of his wife’s infidelity and his desire to save their marriage.

“So much of that is being spun and used to create guilt of Larry,” the defense attorney said. “And, maybe some people won’t like it when I say this, but he was also being abused. He was being psychologically and emotionally abused.”

Sabatini spent about two hours talking to jurors without a slideshow presentation about the lack of concrete evidence connecting Larry Millete to the disappearance of his wife. According to her, Larry Millete did not have the criminal sophistication to successfully kill his wife and hide her body.

“How does that messy emotional person also do something so clinically?” she asked jurors. “It defies logic. If you haven’t realized by now, a trial is a search for the truth. We’re not here to convict Larry. We’re here to figure out the truth.”

By their own admission, the prosecution does not know what happened to Maya Millete. Their arguments amounted to throwing spaghetti at a wall, Sabatini said.

“The prosecutor got up here and said they have no idea what happened, and they’ve thrown it to you to figure it out,” she said. “But that’s not how it works. They have to prove it. You have to be sure.”

Sabatini also contextualized the couple’s 20-year marriage, including their early marriage, their Filipino upbringing, Larry Millete’s time in the Navy, their three children, and the close familial relationships the two of them had. Additionally, the failure of their marriage also coincided with the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This led to a psychological tailspin for Larry Millete, Sabatini said.

“This is a man who needed help,” she said. “He consults the internet for everything. ‘How do I get my wife to fall back in love with me? How do I die without feeling any pain?’”

While the prosecution focused in part on his internet searches for poison hemlock as a possible method of killing Maya Millete, the defense argued this was suicidal ideation.

“To stand up here and say a man who is at his lowest thinking about taking his own life is somehow homicidal is outrageous,” Sabatini said.

In October, Larry Millete paid almost $1,200 to online spellcasters to bring his wife back to him. The prosecution focused on the language he used in the spells, expressing a desire to physically punish, weaken and belittle his wife.

“That Larry could get any results from these spellcastings seems like another leap you have to take,” Sabatini said. “This was his diary. These people weren’t judging him."

While unconventional, the defense attorney told jurors that this was protected speech and did not make him responsible for murder.

Ultimately, Sabatini said that there simply is not enough evidence to convict Larry Millete of his wife’s murder.

“The prosecution says you don’t get to award a murder for successfully hiding a body,” she said. “Well guess what? You don’t get a conviction either.”

On rebuttal, Bowles disputed Sabatini’s claim about the lack of evidence. She argued that the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming and, when taken in totality, points to Larry Millete as the culprit.

While presiding Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena instructed jurors on Tuesday that they must unanimously decide whether Larry Millete was guilty of either first- or second-degree murder, or voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. But Bowles said first-degree murder is the only reasonable choice.

“You would have to believe a long series of coincidences that he’s not guilty of this crime,” she said.

Bowles noted the poison discovered at the Millete residence and his research into poison hemlock, his 12-hour disappearance the day after Maya went missing, the numerous magic spells that he requested against her and the sudden decline in those requests after she disappeared.

“He is either the unluckiest person in the world, or he is guilty of murder,” Bowles told jurors. “Maya Millete found her voice finally. By January of 2021, she found her voice and the defendant silenced it. Sometimes circumstantial evidence can be just as powerful, if not more powerful, than a bloodstain.”

Larry Millete did not testify during trial. He spoke briefly after jurors left the courtroom to acknowledge his waiver of his right to be present during jury notes.

Closing arguments ended before 4 p.m. as jurors left the courtroom to begin their deliberations.

Jurors do not have to agree how Larry Millete may have killed his wife, but they do have to be unanimous in their verdict.