The court suspended criminal proceedings Thursday in the case of a Chula Vista man accused of killing his wife, who remains missing more than 18 months after her disappearance.
The defense attorney for Larry Millete, 40, expressed doubts regarding her client’s competency to stand trial, leading San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwayne K. Moring to call for an evaluation of the defendant.
A doctor will examine Millete to determine his mental fitness. A defendant is deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial if they are unable to understand the nature of the criminal proceedings or assist their attorney in their defense.
The ruling places the criminal case in the suspected death of May “Maya” Millete, missing since Jan. 7, 2021, in limbo.
Millete was slated to have a three-week preliminary hearing later this month, during which the prosecution would present evidence to support the charges of murder and unlawful possession of an assault weapon filed against him.
A hearing regarding his competency is set for Aug. 29 at the downtown San Diego courthouse.
Millete is accused of killing May, 39, the mother of his three children. Prosecutors say that no one has reported seeing her alive after her disappearance, nor has her body been found.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, Millete killed his wife because she sought a divorce.
He allegedly employed the services of “spell casters,” through which he hoped magic could be used to convince his wife to stay. Later, he allegedly asked them to incapacitate her so she could not leave the home.
His messages to the spell casters abruptly halted after Jan. 8, save for one message on Jan. 9 – a request for any hexes on May to be removed, according to a declaration for an arrest warrant.
Millete, who was arrested in October, has denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance. In a separate court case, Millete wrote in a declaration that he believed his wife left voluntarily.
– City News Service