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Jurors to Begin Deliberations in Larry Millete Murder Trial

Closing arguments on July 7 send jurors to decide whether a circumstantial case built from digital records, surveillance, witness testimony, limited physical evidence and behavioral evidence meets the legal standard for conviction.

Overview

  • Prosecutors delivered closing arguments on July 7 and the jury will now deliberate whether the evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Larry Millete killed his wife, Maya, who has not been seen since Jan. 7, 2021.
  • The case rests entirely on a circumstantial mosaic presented over weeks of testimony, including texts, deleted messages, internet searches, surveillance video, digital phone records, journal entries and witness accounts.
  • Judicial rulings narrowed the defense: Judge Enrique Camarena barred evidence pointing to James 'Jamey' Laird as a third‑party suspect and limited certain K9 and decomposition testimony that the defense sought to use.
  • Investigators recovered a vial containing coniine in the Millete home and experts discussed its hypothetical effects, but prosecutors did not present a specific cause of death and Maya’s body has never been found.
  • If jurors convict, Millete faces up to 25 years to life in prison, and the case will be watched as a test of how far circumstantial proof can go in a no‑body homicide prosecution.