SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The husband of May “Maya” Millete has been charged her murder and possession of a semiautomatic rifle that is prohibited under California’s assault weapons ban.
The announcement came yesterday afternoon during an afternoon news conference by San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. Court records show Larry Millete hired multiple “spellcasters” prior to May Millette’s murder.
May “Maya” Millete was 40 when she was reported missing from her home about five miles north of the Mexico-USA border in January 7, 2021. She was the mother of the couple’s three school-age children ages 4, 9, and 11.
At that time, Chula Vista Police said in a statement that, “Due to the sensitivity of the case and to protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not be providing additional information at this time.” They noted that Larry Millete was a person of interest regarding Maya’s disappearance.
At that time, unsealed courts records showed that a Gun Violence Restraining Order (GVRO) had been served against Larry Millete at the Millete family home on May 7, 2021. The family’s Chula Vista property was searched and Maya’s black Jeep was removed by authorities as evidence to gather more information about Maya’s whereabouts.
Maya’s friends and family organized investigations, prayer vigils, and fundraisers. Maya Millete’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, and her husband, Richard, have continually pressured the Chula Vista police detectives by holding media events and organizing search parties.
“They rallied around her family and helped keep May’s disappearance in the spotlight,” said Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy.
Maya was born in the Southern Province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. Her family emigrated to Hawai’i, where she met Larry Millete at the age of seventeen. They married two years later.
While she attended University of Hawai’i in Manoa, Larry was in US Navy training. The family wrote that Maya worked “as a civilian contract specialist in Naval Base San Diego at 32nd Street Naval Station and dedicated most of her life working as a civilian government employee.”
Earlier in the investigation, Larry Millete said he had nothing to do with his wife’s disappearance. However, prosecutors say that their marriage deteriorated over the last two years and Maya had an affair.
The arrest warrant alleges that Larry Millete was paranoid about his wife leaving him and was obsessed with her whereabouts. The warrants states that Larry emailed Maya an article entitled, “What Men want from Their Wives.”
Maya replied: “How about maybe you focus on also what women want from their husbands? All these things you send me are just about you which further solidifies the whole idea that you really think I’m the problem and that if you could only fix me everything will be ok.”
Prosecutors say that Larry messaged spellcasters daily trying to get Maya to return to him. “Larry was trying to hold on to May and he resorted to contacting what are called ‘spellcasters,’ ” District Attorney Stephan said.
According to court documents Larry Millete, 40, attempted to use occult services so to win over his wife and later to force her to remain in the marriage. Reports suggest that he hired multiple magical practitioners during the six months prior to when May Millete went missing.
“Between September 2020 and January 2021, Larry contacted the websites daily, sometimes multiple times a day, purchasing spells and sending messages requesting help so that May would obey him, fall back in love with him, and to incapacitate her or make her sick so that she could not leave the house.”
“I’ve never had a case where that was involved,” said District Attorney Stephan said in a press conference. “These spellcasters would be asked to make May want to stay in the relationship.”
At first the messages focused on restoring the relationship. One message to a spellcaster reads, “Make her want to spend the rest of her life in the same bed 🙏.” Another message reads, “Make her realize we’re meant to be together.”
The messages eventually turned violent. “Specifically, one message from Larry on December 27th states, ‘Please punish may and incapacitate her enough so she can’t leave the house. It’s time to take the gloves off’.”
One message from December 31, 2020 says, “Can you hex to have her hurt enough that she will have to depend on me and need my help. She’s only nice to me when she needs me or sick. Thanks again. Maybe an accident or broken bone.”
“He was asking for May to become incapacitated,” Stephan said. “For May to be in an accident to have broken bones so she could stay at home. Thus, displaying his homicidal ideations to harm May.”
The spellcasters are not named in the warrant but may be “mаmbаbаrаng” or “mаngkukulаm” according to Filipino language teacher Rey Idos in an interview with FOX5 San Diego. “Let’s say, for example, I’m the mambabarang or witch,” Idos said. “You would hire me to cast a spell on somebody you don’t like.”
On January 6, just before her disappearance, Maya confided in a friend via text, “I told him I’m filing for divorce whether he likes it or not. I’m done trying to make it amicable for the sake of the kids.”
Stephan said Maya wanted out of the relationship and was moving on. “She wanted to continue being a parent, and she tried to negotiate that they can be parents to their children but not subject the children to a toxic relationship, but Larry would not have it,” she said.
Police will continue the investigation. Maya Millete’s body has not yet been recovered.
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