Closing arguments set to begin in Larry Millete murder trial

[00:00:01] Speaker 1: Today, the murder trial of Larry Miliete comes to a close. Lawyers are going to make their final arguments, then hand the case to the jury. Larry's accused of killing his wife, Maya, five years ago when she disappeared. Her body has never been found. Since then, this case has captivated San Diego and the nation. As it nears an end, my co-anchor, Melissa Maciha, joins us live from Chula Vista. Melissa, it's been nearly two months of testimony, but now it all boils down to a couple of hours. [00:00:30] Speaker 2: Yeah, closing arguments, that's when both sides are going to wrap up their cases. The prosecution will speak directly to the jury, telling them that Larry murdered Maya because she asked for a divorce and then hid her body so well that nobody could find it. And then the other side, Larry's lawyers, they are going to argue that the deputy DA didn't do her job and that police botched this investigation. So a lot is at stake here today when closing arguments begin. Now, we spoke to an attorney, Tim Scott. He is not related to this case. He said that he's not surprised that Larry's attorneys wrapped up their case last week, Wednesday, in just a few hours with three witnesses. [00:01:20] Speaker 3: When the prosecution just didn't meet their burden, a short or almost non-existence defense case can just be a statement saying they didn't meet their burden. [00:01:36] Speaker 2: Let's bring you back here. [00:01:37] Speaker ?: Let's bring you back here. [00:01:37] Speaker 2: The trial started in mid-May. Since then, we've heard from so many people. We've heard from investigators, Maya's friends, her family, and also various experts. One of the bigger moments in this trial was when the man that Maya was having an affair with took the stand. Jamie Laird worked with Maya as a Navy contractor. He said that their relationship turned physical January 2020. That's a year before she went missing. Laird said that he was in love with Maya, but that they were both scared of losing their jobs. He said that when Maya went missing, Laird was actually in the hospital with his wife, who was giving birth to their first child. We also heard for the first time where investigators believe Maya's body may be buried. District Attorney Investigator James Rhodes testified that after examining missing mileage from the family's Lexus and also some of the other car data, he believes that Maya's remains are in the area of the Colorado River Reservation between the California-Arizona border. Rhodes also testified that the family was familiar with this area because of their outdoor desert trips. He said that they could not pinpoint an exact spot where her body is because the area is so vast. It is wide open space. Now, we want to bring you back to exactly five and a half years ago to show you how this all started. It was January 7, 2021. That was the last time Maya Miliete, a mother of three, was seen. A couple days later, January 9, Maya's sister, Mary Chris, officially reported her missing. Five days after she disappeared, her husband Larry interviewed with ABC10 News, speaking about his wife. [00:03:22] Speaker 4: You know, she missed our daughter's birthday. There's something keeping her from contacting us. So, my sister-in-laws, you know, I don't really try to think about that stuff because it's like mind-numbing, but I'm trying to stay positive. I'd like to text her, you know, I don't know if she's getting it, but I said, hey, babe, at least let us know or call someone and just at least let us know you're okay. [00:03:44] Speaker 2: At that time, he spoke openly, but the following month, police said Larry was no longer cooperating and retained a lawyer. [00:03:51] Speaker 5: Please bring her home. We need our sister, her kids, they need, they need their mom, please. [00:04:01] Speaker 2: A heartbroken sister begging for answers after months and multiple searches for Maya, Larry Miliete was arrested for his wife's murder on October 19, 2021. [00:04:13] Speaker 6: May was loved by her family and friends and was committed to her children. May's murder and disappearance has impacted so many over the past nine months, including many people who had never even met May. Yet, they rallied around her family and helped keep May's disappearance in the spotlight. [00:04:35] Speaker 2: It's taken a long time to get to the criminal case. June 9th, 2022, the criminal case was paused due to his lawyer's request for a mental competency exam. A little more than three months later, Larry was declared mentally competent. However, the trial was still delayed multiple times from personal to medical reasons to a new legal team for Larry. During that time, the three kids without a mom and their dad in jail. And it was a separate legal battle to see who would care for the couple's three children. In summer 2024, Maya's sister, Mary Chris, she ended up winning custody over Larry's parents. And that's the one thing I keep thinking about, Jared, these three children who are at the center of all of this. As closing arguments begin, I'm sure a lot more emotion will be coming from that courtroom today.