CA MAYA "MAY" MILLETE: Missing from Chula Vista, CA - 7 Jan 2021 - Age 39 *ARREST* (2 Viewers)

Murder trial of missing mom Maya Millete, last seen in 2021, pushed back till May​

There has been another delay in the case of missing South Bay mom May "Maya" Millete.


After Larry's trial was delayed numerous times, jury selection had been scheduled for March.

However, Larry's defense team argued on Wednesday to get it pushed back again, and the judge agreed. A new trial date has been set for May 11.

Prosecutors, defense attorneys in Maya Millete murder case getting ready for trial​

The contours of the trial of Larry Millete, who is accused of murdering his wife, Maya, the mother of their three young children, are coming into view after a hearing on Tuesday in the South Bay courthouse.

During that court date, the judge in the case laid out the jury selection process. The parties to the case will be going through nearly 300 potential jurors at the end of April.

One of the questions prospective jurors will be asked is whether they've seen any pre-trial publicity, a concern for the defense team, which requested a change in venue. That motion was denied by the just last summer.


The trial has been rescheduled a number of times, for a variety of reasons, including a change in defense attorneys for Larry. In January of this year, the judge scheduled the trial to begin on May 11.

Millete murder trial's prospective jurors begin to be questioned​

Nearly 90 prospective jurors appeared at the Chula Vista courthouse Monday to fill out questionnaires aimed at determining whether they might sit on the upcoming murder trial for the husband of missing Chula Vista resident, May "Maya" Millete.


The trial is expected to last around three months, prompting a rigorous jury selection process that includes an initial round of jurors screened through a questionnaire tailored by the court and attorneys on both sides.

Jury selection is officially expected to begin on May 11, which will involve jurors questioned in person by the prosecution and defense on a variety of topics.

While the content of the jury questionnaires has not been publicly released, Millete's attorneys have previously argued that extensive media coverage of the case and news conferences hosted by police and prosecutors may have tainted Millete's chances for a fair trial with an impartial jury. The defense also unsuccessfully sought to have the trial moved away from the Chula Vista courthouse or out of San Diego County entirely in a bid to obtain a jury pool they alleged would be more unbiased.

I’m so glad this case is taking off. We’ve been waiting for years and years.

Judge denies cameras in court during Millete trial for missing Chula Vista mom​

Larry Millete, accused of murder in his wife Maya Millete’s disappearance from their Chula Vista home in 2021, was in court Monday ahead of his expected trial in May.

After multiple delays, in limine motions began Monday morning. One of the motions included denying media requests for video, audio and still photos.

“In limine motions are motions that affect the trial, presentation of the trial, so lawyers want to file motions, to keep out evidence or to trim down evidence or to admit evidence,” Marc Carlos, a criminal defense attorney who is not involved with the Millete case, said. “They’re very, very important because the judge makes rulings, and if they are able to keep evidence out, a jury never hears about it.”

The evidence discussed in court included Maya’s old journal entries, a non-emergency police call Maya’s sister made and cell phone records, to name a few.

One of the motions discussed in court was a request made by our FOX5/KUSI news team to have cameras in the courtroom. Judge Camarena denied the request, stating that he was protecting the impartiality of the jury.

“I understand the judge’s ruling,” said Carlos. “He knows the South Bay community very, very well, and so it was his impression obviously that if this were televised, that it would really create a situation and some sort of almost a media circus and make it very difficult for the defendant to get a fair trial.”

Judge Camarena said during the hearing that he wants to ensure the jurors can deliberate without fear and not worry about the court of public opinion.

Carlos said that said he’s been harassed after litigating high-profile cases, so he understands Judge Camarena’s need to protect the jury in this case.

“Every day I’m getting emails, and sometimes nasty phone calls about how the case is going, or what I’m doing, or how could I do this,” said Carlos. “It’s a lot of potential harassment to jurors and to the lawyers as well, particularly in this case.”

Carlos said it’s important to protect this case, which hinges on circumstantial evidence.

“Most cases are pretty straightforward to what occurred,” said Carlos. “This case there’s some actual issues that can be litigated. There is some reasonable doubt because again there is no body,” Carlos said.

The judge is expected to rule on the defense’s motion to recuse the District Attorney’s Office from the case on Thursday.

The trial is set to begin on May 11 and last for about three months.

Defense strategy emerges during Larry Millete pre-trial hearing​

A pre-trial hearing continued today in the Millete murder trial as the judge is deciding which exhibits and evidence jurors will be permitted to see during proceedings.

The defense revealed one of its theories about what happened to Maya Millete, saying she did not voluntarily leave her family, but rather someone else is responsible for taking her life — and it's not Larry Millete.

Legal expert Brian Watkins told CBS 8 the defense has three options.

"They can say she's still alive and she's out there living her best life on some island which she always dreamed about, probably with another man," said Watkins. "Or they can go the route that say 'She is dead, but [he] didn't kill her. Someone else killed her.' And that is a unique one, because they also then have to agree with and accept the DA's theory that she is in fact dead and that her cause of death was in fact a homicide, which are two hurdles that maybe they shouldn't admit to."

"Or, you know, the third option is,' I don't know what happened, and neither does the district attorney. There's no evidence. You can't prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The bottom line here is, we don't know. This is a mystery,'" he said.


This strategy surfaced during arguments over which family photos jurors could view. The defense sought to reduce approximately 25 slides showing Maya Millete with her extended family. The defense argued the photos are too much, and the jury needs to stay focused on a specific time frame. They argued the photos were prejudicial to Larry Millete and should be limited.

Though Judge Enrique Camarena agreed to order the prosecution to pare down the number of photos, he said the photos themselves are relevant, citing the unusual circumstances of the case. He said the fact the family got together a lot is relevant because it shows that had Maya walked away from her life, it's not just her children she walked away from — she would've been walking away from her siblings and her elderly parents who suffered from health issues.

"Every text message is important, and the admissibility every piece of evidence must be scrutinized by the judge," said Watkins. "If he lets in evidence that shouldn't be admitted, then that case will be overturned on appeal. So the presentation of evidence is what a trial is, and what evidence can be presented is defined by the rules of evidence."