12 Jurors Begin Deliberating Larry Millete Murder Case After 7-Week Trial
Updated
Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · Jul 8
12 Jurors Begin Deliberating Larry Millete Murder Case After 7-Week Trial
3 articles · Updated · The San Diego Union-Tribune · Jul 8
Summary
Around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, a 12-member jury began weighing whether Larry Millete murdered his wife, May “Maya” Millete, after a seven-week trial with more than 60 witnesses.
Prosecutors say Millete killed May on Jan. 7, 2021—likely by hemlock poisoning—after she contacted a divorce lawyer, then disposed of her body; she has never been found.
Defense lawyer Liann Sabatini urged jurors to reject what she called a “silly” poison theory, arguing the state relied on circumstantial evidence and failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Her closing argument cast Millete, 44, as a broken but nonviolent husband and offered only possible explanations for his 11-hour trip with his phone off the day after May vanished.
Jurors deliberated for about 1 hour before going home without a verdict, with options ranging from first-degree murder to lesser murder or manslaughter charges.