FULL PRESSER: Deputy District attorney and Maya Millete's sister speak out after guilty verdict

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Today, a jury carefully considered all of the evidence presented over the course of this seven-week trial and returned a verdict of guilty. We are grateful to the jurors for the extraordinary commitment they made to this case. They devoted weeks of their lives, listened attentively to difficult testimony, examined the evidence with great care, and fulfilled one of the most important responsibilities of our justice system. Our thoughts, the thoughts of myself and my team, remain with May Millett's family, her friends, and especially her three children. No verdict can erase the pain of losing May or the years of uncertainty that have endured. But we hope today's outcome provides a measure of justice and accountability. This was a complex case that required years of relentless investigative work. I want to thank the Chula Vista Police the FBI, NCIS, and the entire prosecution team, our paralegals, our victim advocates, investigators, support staff, and all of our law enforcement partners for their unwavering dedication and professionalism. And in particular, I want to thank lead investigator from the District Attorney's Office, James Rhodes. Every member of this team remained committed to following the evidence wherever it led. This case demonstrates that justice does not depend on recovering the victim's body. Circumstantial evidence is evidence, and when it proves beyond a reasonable doubt, the law allows jurors to hold a defendant accountable, which they did. Finally, while today's verdict is significant, May is still missing. We continue to hope that one day she will be found so her family can lay her to rest with the dignity she deserves. Thank you. [00:02:11] Speaker 2: Good afternoon. It's been many years now since the Chula Vista Police Department first got a missing persons call that May was missing. And since that time, the Chula Vista Police Department, along with the District Attorney's Office, NCIS, and FBI, have worked tirelessly to try to find where May went. Today gives a little bit of justice on behalf of May and to her family for her being missing for all these years. But it doesn't bring closure. She is still out there. She is still missing. And we are going to work tirelessly to continue looking for her and try to find her and bring her home so she can be with her family. Obviously, it's been a very difficult and emotional time for all the investigators that worked on this. But I want to say I don't think we ever would have got to this point without the hard work of our Deputy District Attorney, Kristi Bowles. She did an absolute amazing job to bring justice today. And I want to thank her. With that, I would like to hand over to Mary, Chris, and [00:03:25] Speaker 3: Richard. I honestly, I told Kristi earlier, I did have a little note that I was going to read, but my phone died. So I don't really have anything like a really good speech to tell everybody. But from the bottom of my heart and from my entire family, the Tablelands family, we thank Kristi Bowles for her hard work for entire five years. Her dedication and in her entire team to work on this case. I can't take them enough for the hard work. And I know she probably have sleepless nights too, working on this case and also her entire team. But thank you so much for your dedication. Justice probably have been served today. But we still have my sister out there. We still have a second step to go through. We still have to bring my sister home to bring her to her three children that's been waiting for her for five years. And we still ask the public for help. Maybe, you know, one of these days we can bring her home. Thank you everybody. And thank you for the media for always covering her story. Thank you. Thank you. [00:05:19] Speaker 4: We have a couple questions. Can you just explain the difficulty of a no body case and, you know, [00:05:29] Speaker 1: the success that you've had here today? Well, I mean, I think that it's it's just as I said, I mean, circumstantial evidence is the equally strong as direct evidence. And in this case, we're just very grateful to the jury for their hard work and for coming to the conclusion that they did because, as as we've stated all along, we believe that that is the reasonable conclusion for them to have come to. And we are just grateful to them for their hard work and their service and and their verdict today. What piece of evidence convinced and heard do you believe beyond a reasonable doubt? I think it's always a collection of the evidence and it's a it's it's the totality of everything, which is what their their job is. And I think that's what they did today. And again, I just it couldn't have been presented without the hard work of the investigators that are standing beside me and the entire investigative team. What does this mean to you personally? I mean, it's been five years of your life. I mean, I just it's an honor to do this job and to work on behalf of a family like this. And I just I think for all of us, it's just been an honor to try to do whatever we could on on their behalf and to bring justice to their their daughter, their sister, [00:06:51] Speaker 2: their aunt, their loved one. What do you think of how quickly the jury returns verdict? [00:06:57] Speaker 1: I'm not going to speak to that. I just am grateful again that they reached the conclusion that they did. And I think it's just a good resolution for justice for May and her family. Are you prepared for abuse? I mean, we're always we're prepared for anything. Can we ask you a couple questions? I think I think it's been a long days and a long long five years. So I think we're going to leave let the family have some time. But we are grateful to all of you and thank you.