The murder trial of Larry Millete, the Chula Vista man accused of killing his wife who remains missing more than four years after vanishing from her home, was delayed Wednesday until January of next year.
The latest postponement in Millete’s trial — which had been slated to begin in July — stems from a request from his attorney, Liann Sabatini. The basis for her request was not detailed during a Wednesday court hearing and is contained in court documents that have been placed under seal.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena did reference in open court “defense counsel’s health circumstances” when considering the request. Though Sabatini had requested to postpone the trial until next spring, Camarena said a delay of that length was “excessive,” and the judge set the trial to begin Jan. 21.
“The casual observer may reasonably opine that it appears that there’s little or no urgency to move forward,” Camarena said, but the judge acknowledged the voluminous amount of evidence Millete’s defense team has had to review in the case.
The judge noted, “There does come a point where delay no longer serves justice, but begins to erode it.”
Millete, 43, has remained in jail since his arrest in October 2021. At the end of his preliminary hearing more than two years ago, trial was initially scheduled for September 2023.
His wife, May “Maya” Millete, has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021.
Prosecutors allege that after she sought to divorce her husband, Larry Millete enlisted family and “spell casters” to compel his wife to give up her plans to leave him. However, his requests to convince her to remain in the marriage abruptly ended following her disappearance, according to prosecutors.
Millete faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of the murder count, as well as a felony count of possessing an assault weapon. He has pleaded not guilty.
