On the seventh day of the preliminary hearing for 41-year-old Larry Millete, the Chula Vista husband accused of killing his wife Maya Millete, two Chula Vista Police Department detectives testified in Downtown San Diego Court.
The disappearance of Maya Millete has been under investigation since January 2021 by the Chula Vista Police Department and several federal agencies. Larry was arrested in October 2021 on suspicion of murder and has remained in jail without bail.
The preliminary hearing is not a trial. Prosecutors will present evidence and testimony to Judge Dwayne Morning in order to decide whether or not to proceed with a trial.
Chula Vista Police Det. Jesse Vicente testified he reviewed surveillance footage from the neighboring homes of the Millete residence between the afternoon of Jan.7 through Jan.10. According to Det.Vicente, the video footage shows Maya arriving at her Chula Vista home for the last time on Jan.7, 2021 at around 3 p.m. in her Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
The surveillance footage fails to show Maya leaving the house in the days following Jan.7.
A black SUV is shown leaving the home at around 6:45 a.m. the following day, and returning at around 6 p.m. that same evening. Authorities believe the driver was Larry Millete.
Family members and friends were unable to contact Maya after Jan.7. Last week, Maya’s younger brother Jay-R Talabanza testified driving to the Millete residence on Jan.9 to check on her amid growing concern from family members. Talabanza testified that Larry told him Maya locked herself in the bedroom, but when he knocked to check on her, there was no answer.
Det. Vicente told the judge that surveillance footage from a neighboring home on Jan. 8, 20201showed a black SUV Lexus pull close to the Millete home at around 6 a.m. and left the home about 40 minutes later. The vehicle did not return until 6 p.m. that night.
Larry told police he went to Solana Beach with his four-year-old son, but when he was asked to locate where on a map, he pointed to Torrey Pines State Beach. Larry’s alibi could not be accounted for during that time, according To court documents.
Testimony from Maya's family members revealed her marriage with Larry was deteriorating in 2020. Maya told family members, friends, and colleagues about Larry regularly monitoring who she communicated with, attempting to track her whereabouts, and his attempts to control her finances.
Larry had reached out to several family members to talk about their relationship and asked them to help convince Maya to stay.
Chula Vista Police Detective Lorenzo Ruiz testified about internet searches discovered on Larry’s and Maya’s computers. According to Ruiz, there was an internet search made on Larry’s computer on Nov.20, 2020, for “subliminal wife training” and “training your wife subliminal”. Other internet searches on Aug.2020 include “is manhandling a wife physical abuse”, “physical abuse manifesting after years in a marriage,” and “can you track my phone if it's on airplane mode?”
Defense attorney Bonita Martinez asked Ruiz about the searches of the home and what stood out to him. Ruiz commented on the patched-up hole in the master bedroom.
"The one thing that stands out in my mind was the hole that was in the master bedroom door that had since been patched," Ruiz testified. "I thought that was definitely of significance. It did not appear to be an accidental hole, more of an intentional damage to the door. Specifically, the master bedroom. I thought that was pretty significant," Ruiz said.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled to resume on Monday.
