Larry Millete Details Love Spell Defense in Interview After 25-Year Sentence
The convicted killer told ABC News he was at the beach with his son the day after allegedly killing his wife, whose body remains missing.
By Kwame Silva ·
Larry Millete received a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Maya Millete. The judge handed down the verdict just before Millete sat down for an hour-long interview with ABC News 20/20. In the conversation, he offered a detailed account of how he came to hire spellcasters and where he was on the day prosecutors say he killed Maya.
A jury in Vista, California, found Millete guilty in July following weeks of testimony. Prosecutors argued that Millete hired practitioners to cast spells intended to make Maya love him. They claimed he later instructed them to hurt or incapacitate her so she would become dependent on him. Millete said he began with a simple love spell while searching online for ways to save the marriage. He stated that he tried subliminal techniques, marriage counseling, and church services in an attempt to fix the relationship.
Prosecutors say Maya was killed on January 7, 2021. They contend that the following day, Millete loaded her body into his car and drove to a location to dispose of it. Millete disputes this timeline. He told the interviewer that he was at the beach with his youngest son. He described a "really good beach day" involving sand play and meals eaten in a cot near the vehicle.
The defense used the scraping noise mentioned in the prosecution's case to support the beach story. Millete identified the noise as a red Walmart bucket filled with beach toys and a wetsuit. He explained that he was backing the vehicle up and moving back and forth while the son played in the sand.
Millete also challenged the evidence presented during the trial, specifically journal entries written by Maya to her daughters. Those letters accused their father of mental and physical abuse. Millete questioned why Maya would write such allegations if he had never physically harmed her during their relationship. He noted that the handwriting in the journals appeared to be her own.
Maya's body has never been found. Millete is scheduled for a one-on-one interview with Laura Acevedo on Thursday. That session will take place at the jail where he is currently being held.
