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.

Prosecutors allege Larry Millete killed Maya after she tried to divorce him, a charge Larry denies.

After an unusually long pre-trial hearing in January of 2023, Larry was bound over for trial.

Prosecutors spent weeks presenting evidence they say shows Larry’s mental state amid his deteriorating relationship with Maya in the days before he allegedly snapped, including a video recording taken by Maya in the weeks before her disappearance, and surveillance video of the home in the days after. Larry appeared to be hyper-focused on a possible affair between his wife and a co-worker, prosecutors alleged.

Prosecutors presented phone call and text records that show Larry’s obsession with the affair, according to prosecutors. They say their evidence showed Maya went home on Jan. 7 and never left. Her cell phone disconnected days later, with its last location being their shared home.

What prosecutors didn’t present at the pre-trial hearing was physical evidence of a slaying, such as a body, a murder weapon or blood evidence.

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.

If convicted, Millete, who was arrested in 2021 and has been held in custody ever since, faces up to 25 years to life. He also faces one count of possession of an assault weapon