THE trial of a man accused of murdering his wife has seen allegations of witchcraft being used to save a marriage he feared had been destroyed by an affair.

The hotly anticipated case of Maya Millete, 39, who went missing in January 2021 in Chula Vista, California, went to trial in San Diego on Monday.

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Maya Millete’s body has never been recoveredCredit: GoFundMe.com
 

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Larry Millete was charged with murder and has been in custody since October 2021Credit: NBC
Her husband, Larry, who was arrested in October 2021 and has remained in custody ever since, has been charged with killing his wife of 20 years and then disposing of the body the following day.

Neighbors allegedly saw him throwing items over a fence just days before the FBI arrested him.

According to court statements, Maya, whose family were reportedly suspicious of her husband, had been unhappy and was looking to end the relationship.

But as the trial began, jurors heard claims that Larry turned to increasingly bizarre methods to stop her from leaving.

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Maya Millete was allegedly unhappy in her marriage and wanted to leave amid rumors of an affairCredit: Handout
 

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Investigators claim Larry Millete had researched cocktails of dangerous drugs and had looked into witchcraft to harm his wifeCredit: Fox
Maya was last seen on surveillance footage returning to the family’s Eastlake-area home on January 7, 2021.

Her body has never been found, although California law allows prosecutors to pursue murder charges in cases where investigators believe the victim is dead even without recovering remains.

Defense attorney Colby Ryan told jurors Maya had been having an affair with a co-worker whose wife was pregnant, while arguing investigators focused too heavily on Larry and failed to pursue other possible leads.

He urged jurors to remember there is still no definitive proof explaining exactly what happened to Maya.

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Pictured is the Chula Vista, California home of Larry Millete, who is accused of murdering his wife MayaCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
 

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Sisters Maricris Drouaillet (right) and Jane Fetalvero (left) comfort each other, as San Diego DA Summer Stephan briefed the media on Larry’s arrestCredit: Getty
Prosecutor San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles told the court Maya continued texting friends and searching the internet late into the evening before her phone suddenly stopped transmitting around 1:25am the next morning.

It was the last known activity linked to her.

Audio captured on a neighbor’s security camera is believed to show a series of gunshots around 10pm on the night she went missing.

The family’s private investigator, Billy Little Jr., also claims there is a separate recording of a loud argument inside the Millete home on January 7 that was “so loud it could be heard outside.”

Little says the argument was followed by a burst of gunfire.

He claimed up to ten shots may have been fired, although the security camera audio allegedly captures only eight distinct gunshots.

The court heard allegations that Larry sought help from spellcasters and paid for online services he believed could help save the marriage – or at least make Maya obey him, according to a 2021 affidavit from Detective Jesse Vicente of the Chula Vista Police Department.

Bowles said Larry allegedly texted a woman named Genesis in 2020 saying, “I’ve been thinking about apprenticing under a spellcaster.”

Investigators also said Larry had requested a hex that would cause his wife to crash and leave her injured and unable to leave the house during a family dirt biking trip.

“Can you hex to have her hurt enough that she will have to depend on me and need my help,” Larry wrote in an email to a spellcaster, according to Vicente’s affidavit.

“She’s only nice to me when she needs me or sick.”

Jurors also heard claims that he obtained a subliminal messaging device intended to play messages while Maya slept.

According to an arrest warrant previously filed in the case, Google searches linked to Larry’s account allegedly included searches for drugs which can incapacitate a person such as flunitrazepam, rohypnol and diphenhydramine.

Prosecutors also pointed to searches including “how painful is fatal hemlock poisoning” and “what is the best poison for a fast death.”

Bowles told jurors investigators later recovered a small vial from the family home. Testing allegedly detected coniine, a toxic chemical found in poison hemlock.

Prosecutors argue the searches and forensic evidence show planning and intent. The defense has not yet addressed the forensic claims in detail.

The jury also heard testimony about tensions inside the marriage during 2020.

Bowles said Maya had temporarily moved out before later returning home.

In August 2020, prosecutors allege Larry drilled a hole into a bedroom door to gain access to her room, after which Maya threatened to seek a restraining order.

Messages presented in court showed Maya expressing frustration over what she described as manipulation involving family members and the couple’s children.

At one point, Maya allegedly told relatives: “If he comes near me, or touches me, I will call the police.”

Bowles also said Maya searched online about how physical abuse impacts women.

Maya’s sister-in-law, Maricris Drouaillet, previously told The U.S. Sun that Maya feared how Larry might react if she permanently left the marriage and warned relatives to look at him if anything happened to her.

“Rather than let her leave, he killed her,” Bowles told jurors during opening statements.

Ryan pushed back against the prosecution’s claims, arguing investigators built the case around Larry early in the investigation while overlooking alternative explanations for Maya’s disappearance.

The second day included testimony from Maya’s work friend Jasmine Rooker.

She testified that there were several occasions when Maya was required to prove who she was with by showing Larry her surroundings over FaceTime.

On one occasion, she recalled Larry saying: “My wife is just so beautiful and there’s all these guys after her, and I just have to keep this romance going.”

She also told the court that Larry once appeared at Maya’s office window, pressing his face against the glass as he looked inside.

Rooker said she felt “a little creeped out.”