A Chula Vista father erupted in court Tuesday, shouting at the man accused of murdering his daughter as prosecutors laid out their case that a jealous husband killed his wife when she tried to leave him.
Larry Millete, 44, sits on trial for the murder of his wife Maya, a 39-year-old mother of three who vanished from their Chula Vista home in January 2021. Her body has never been found. On the second day of testimony, Maya’s father Benito Tapia broke down on the witness stand, overcome by emotion as he described his daughter’s disappearance.
The outburst underscores what prosecutors say was a calculated killing by a controlling husband who couldn’t accept that his marriage was ending. Maya Millete had scheduled a meeting with a divorce attorney for the day after she disappeared. She never made that appointment.
Investigators say Larry Millete’s internet searches in the months before his wife vanished paint a dark picture. He researched “plant you take to never wake up,” sound suppression devices, and how to create untraceable poison. Phone records show he contacted what prosecutors describe as “spellcasters” — people claiming supernatural abilities to influence his wife’s behavior and keep her from leaving.
The case has gripped San Diego County since Maya’s disappearance over five years ago. For months, volunteers searched canyons and hillsides around Chula Vista. Friends organized rallies demanding answers. In October 2021, authorities arrested Larry Millete and charged him with murder despite having no body.
Defense attorneys argue the prosecution’s case is entirely circumstantial. Without a body, without a crime scene, and without physical evidence connecting Larry Millete to his wife’s disappearance, they say reasonable doubt permeates every aspect of the charges. They’ve suggested Maya could have left voluntarily or met with foul play at someone else’s hands.
But prosecutors counter that the totality of evidence — the suspicious searches, the attempts to manipulate his wife through magic spells, the strategic timing of her disappearance, and Larry’s changing stories to investigators — points to one conclusion.
The trial is expected to last several weeks. Three children who lost their mother now face the prospect of learning whether their father took her from them. For families across America watching cases like this, it’s a reminder that domestic violence often escalates when victims try to leave — and that the justice system must work even when killers try to hide their crimes.
Key Points
- Maya Millete’s father shouted at defendant Larry Millete during emotional testimony in Chula Vista murder trial
- Prosecutors cite suspicious internet searches for poison and sound suppression, plus contacts with “spellcasters” to control his wife
- Defense argues case is purely circumstantial with no body, crime scene, or physical evidence after more than five years
https://www.courthousenews.com/maya-milletes-father-shouts-at-defendant-in-chula-vista-murder-trial/ – May 20, 2026
