A total of 12 jurors and six alternates have been selected for the murder trial of Larry Millete, who is accused of killing his wife, who disappeared from the couple's Chula Vista home more than five years ago.
Opening statements in the trial are slated to begin Monday at 9 a.m.
Millete, 44, is charged with the murder of the mother of his three children, May "Maya" Millete, who has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021.
While May Millete's body has not been located, prosecutors said there is no evidence to suggest she's alive or voluntarily abandoned her family.
They also allege May's desire to leave her marriage prompted Larry Millete to resort to desperate measures to convince May to stay, including by paying "spell casters" to compel her to give up her plans for divorce.
Prosecutors said among the spells Larry sought were ones he believed could make his wife love him, while in other instances, Millete sought to have his wife injured, sick or suffer from nightmares either as a form of punishment or so she would be dependent on him.
But prosecutors said he ceased his requests for any spells to be cast on his wife after she vanished, nor did he take part in the numerous searches for May in the months that followed.
A trial is expected to last around three months. Along with a typical 12-person jury, six alternate jurors are being sought for the trial.
Just before the trial was slated to begin, Millete's defense attorneys, Liann Sabatini and Colby Ryan, unsuccessfully sought to have the lead prosecutor and entire San Diego County District Attorney's Office recused from the case.
Millete's attorneys argued that throughout his preliminary hearing in 2023, the prosecution's witnesses lied about a key factor of the case related to an alleged affair May Millete was having with a married co-worker.
In a defense motion to recuse the DA's Office, the attorneys argued this evidence could have pointed to the co-worker as another potential suspect in May Millete's killing. The motion argued the co-worker may have "also had motive to kill (her)" because she could have exposed his infidelity, compromising his marriage and their jobs with the U.S. Navy.
However, Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena, who will preside over the trial, ruled that the defense may not argue to jurors that the co- worker had any role in her killing.
(Photo: ABC 10)