Larry Millete sentenced to 25 years to life for wife Maya's murder in Chula Vista
Larry Millete received a 25-years-to-life sentence for the murder of his wife Maya, as his father suffered repeated shocks from an implanted device while speaking in court.
Father's medical device sparks chaos at Millete sentencing in Chula Vista court
A Chula Vista courtroom saw an extraordinary scene Monday as Larry Millete was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his wife, Maya — while his father, Benito, suffered repeated jolts from an implanted cardiac device during his statement in support of his son, NY Post Metro reports.
Benito was mid-speech, making the case for his son's innocence and reportedly making disparaging remarks about Maya, when he suddenly grimaced, stumbled backward, and grunted in apparent pain. He slammed the microphone down and addressed the bench directly: "I'm sorry, Your Honor, I've got the pacemaker."
He attempted to continue his statement but was struck again, visibly distressed. He claimed that "static" in the courtroom was interfering with the device and called out for medical attention. Sheriff's deputies escorted him from the room. He was subsequently seen being loaded into an ambulance outside the courthouse, conscious and responsive; his condition remains unknown.
According to the American College of Cardiology, a standard pacemaker does not deliver electric shocks — that function is performed by an internal defibrillator.
Benito had told the court he was convinced of his son's innocence, saying he had asked Larry directly on multiple occasions whether he had harmed Maya. "I would not be here at this very moment if I did not believe my son," he said. He also claimed Larry had told family members not to disturb Maya when she had a headache or was, in his characterization, "drunk" — a remark that drew audible gasps from the gallery.
Judge Enrique Camarena, who presided over the sentencing, denied Larry Millete parole and declared him a danger to society.
The verdict itself had been delivered in July, after roughly five hours of jury deliberation. Prosecutors built their case around evidence of domestic abuse, infidelity, and what they described as a sustained campaign of intimidation directed at Maya, a mother of three who was last seen in January 2021 and whose body has never been recovered.
A central piece of evidence was Maya's personal journal. Entries in it described her fear of her husband and detailed physical abuse she said she endured at his hands. "He abuses me physically. … I want to be strong, so he never puts his hands on me again," she wrote in one entry. The journal gave jurors a direct account of the dynamic inside the marriage in the period before she disappeared.
Larry Millete, a Navy optician by profession, addressed the court during sentencing. Looking toward one of Maya's sisters, he said: "I want to let you guys know, I really love your sister, I miss her every day." He also told his children he loved them.
Maya's family did not accept the statement. As he spoke, one of her nieces shouted from the gallery: "Why did you kill her?"
Source: NY Post Metro