Thread by @milletetrial

It’s LARRY MILLETE TRIAL ▪️Day 22▪️and I am here at San Diego Superior Court to give you minute by minute updates; there’s no cameras, so I’ll be your eyes and ears!

The case, if you’re new, is centered around the 2021 disappearance of San Diego mom Maya Millete. Her husband Larry Millete is charged with her murder - though her remains have never been found.

Catch up here: maggiewinterton.com

PS - I’m serving mad lazy eye today; I have an eye condition. My eyes don’t like to work together. They are independent eyeballs ok!

Fashion update: Ms Sabatini is in a maroon pant suit, Mr Ryan is in a dark blue suit with red tie and patterned pocket square, Larry Millete is in a green sweater with a blue shirt underneath.

Fashion for prosecution table: Mr Rhoades, ever consistent, is in a black suit with a black and grey striped tie. Ms Bowles is in a dark grey skirt suit with a maroon blouse.

District Attorney investigator Xanthe Rosario is our first witness. She works with family justice. She’s been at the San Diego DA since 2023.

Her job is safety and threat assessments and to assist the DA with victims. Search warrants, interviews, follow ups, analysis are all in her purview. She previously was CVPD.

She was in the crimes and violence unit at CVPD as a detective - she worked on the team with Det Vicente On this case in 2021.

Rosario was assigned to do witness statements, phone downloads and looking at surveillance video. She looked at one home in particular connected with this case (Maggie note: I’m keeping the address private.)

The camera she reviewed was mounted outside. This camera captured the JEEP + Maya January 7th footage We’ve seen earlier in the case.

There is an oveerflow room today because so many people are here. I was lucky to get in the courtroom. However, the Judge is trying to facilitate a TEAMS video for the overflow room to watch. “I just realized I forgot the password,” he says.

Outside help has arrived to counsel Judge C on the password situation. Of course, everyone laughed when he said he forgot the password. Judge C had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face As he said it. OKAY I think we might be set.

Bowles had to put on a lapel mic for the overflow. The witness describes the other surveillance she reviewed. Bowles presents a cd with the footage. The next address had two cameras - it did not capture the millete home completely.

That address had clips only - not continuous recording. This address’ cameras captured the significant clips from Jan 8th and 9th. (Maggie note: I am pretty sure we’ve gone over all this with Vicente already.)

The witness testifies that she never saw May Millete in any of those clips from Jan 8th and 9th. Moving to the next address, she did not see May Millete in any of the footage either. Bowles asks if it was done in the early stages of the investigation and the witness agrees

Rosario says that she also reviewed emails. Bowles presents a CD with the emails to the witness. “You gave it to me to review,” Rosario testifies to Bowles.

Significant email info: there were two May Millete emails. One was for the military only, while the other was more personal. Bowles asks if any of the emails were sent after January 7th, 2021 and Rosario says no. There were no emails after that day From May.

Sabatini is up for cross. She’s going over the details we just heard. She’s making statements and asking “correct?” And generally the witness is agreeing with the statements. There’s nothing significant yet.

Sabatini is asking about what Rosario said in her report from January 2021 -the witness is going over page four of the report to refresh her memory.

The report is from January 14, 2021. Larry allowed everyone in for the initial search of the Millete home with Det Vicente and team. Sabatini wanted to highlight that.

On June 15, 2021 Vicente and Rosario did the surveillance “experiment” we’ve heard about - where they tested visibility of a person at night leaving the home through the drainage ditch.

Rosario was supposed to document whether or not she could see Det Vicente in the drainage ditch. At 9:19 Pm, Vicente walked in and out and Rosario could not see him on footage. The report says, “Not even the silhouette.” Witness says: “nothing of evidentiary value”

“It was dark, I couldn’t see the faces,” Rosario adds.
”You could see him in person, but not on film,” Sabatini says. Witness says yes.

Financial records: May’s credit cards would reach a balance as high as 7500 a month. Rosario also reviewed Maya’s Barclays savings account. Jurors are taking lots of notes right now.

Witness looks at her report regarding the Barclays savings account: Mrs Millete was the only account holder, it says. The balance was usually around $1000.

We’re talking texts now: Sabatini suggests that in all the texts Rosario reviewed, Larry Millete never suggested he knew where May was. OBJECTION SUSTAINED and cross is over.

New witness: Courtney Nixon. A beautiful photo of May is put on screen again. ”that’s may millete,” the witness says. “She was one of my best friends.”

Ms Nixon met May at work. She speaks softly and quickly. “She was my supervisor, a mentor, a friend, all the things”

This witness moved to Naples, Italy in 2015. This is the second friend who went to Naples that we’ve heard from. (Maggie note: I also moved to Naples Italy in 2015…)

Ms Nixon was a contract specialist like May. 2011-2015 is the time period that she was coworkers and friends with May. “We called ourselves Work Besties,” she says. “There was four of us who would hang out.”

Ms Nixon is describing a deep friendship with May where they spent lots of time together. Bowles asks if they stayed in touch when she moved, and she says that they all kept in touch (The Work Besties).

Ms Nixon says that she would come back to San Diego to visit and be around May and her family a lot.

When Maya took her trip to Italy to visit Ms Shen (from earlier in the trial), she also visited Ms Nixon. This trip was in the fall of 2019. She also went with May to Barcelona at the end of May’s trip.

Bowles asks if that was the last time she saw May and the witness says yes very softly, it’s hard to make out. Sabatini asks for the photo to be taken down again - the photo of May. Some on the jury give Sabatini a look.

Ms Nixon said she didn’t know about what was going on in the marriage At that time. In 2020, however, May began discuss her marriage with the witness.

Bowles asks about the conversations: “Her feelings of not begin able to have any privacy, to be alone, not feeling as confident in her marriage…they were married for a long time and the thought of not being in the marriage was new.”

Facebook Messenger was the primary method of communication for them, but Courtney “became blocked” so the two had to switch to instagram in order to talk.

Bowles shows, on screen, a helpful graphic: a photo of may’s profiles for facebook and instagram. On the instagram, the bio is highlighted: it reads, “Mom first, then everything else.”

Ms Nixon: “Once I realized I got blocked on facebook, I reached out to may on instagram.” Bowles asks if she had a fight with May to trigger the block - but the witness says there was no such fight.

On screen, We can see a slide that says “Facebook messages, May Millete and Courtney Nixon”

Bowles asks if it was through messages or phone calls that May confided in her. Bowles puts messages between the two from Feb 2020 on screen. “Hey hey” from Courtney the conversation begins.

“Just wanted to reach out to you desperate (sic) the group chat. I’m here to talk if you need anything I know everyones’s marriage looks perfect from the outside, but we all go through things so I’m always here to talk and support through this,”

Maya response: “Thanks Court. It’s so hard to explain..but i feel guilty…” Courtney asks if it’s because of the kids or leaving the marriage. Maya says that it’s both. “And he‘s always been this way,” Maya also wrote.

More texts from May: “I feel like I’ve already crossed that threshold where i cant go back to where i was. Where i can go back to how i was…”

The witness says that Maya’s overall feelings were guilt. She says that she tried to be a supportive friend.
More:
May: We can maintain the house and the kids wont have to be uprooted.

Witness believes Larry’s parents still lived at the house during this time period. More May messages:
”I think it woulcve to be that’ll move (Sic).I asked my brother if i can stay with them. That way i can pay cheaper rent...I feel so guilty bec we have 3 kids that it’s affecting”

”Sometimes suffering feels like the best choice,“ Maya Millete wrote to friend Courtney Nixon.

“She was confused in what to do because she wanted to stay with the kids but she was unhappy in her Situation…she didn’t want to leave the kids and not have them with her,” witness explains

Courtney: Go with what you feel is best. You have a sound mind and know what’s bad for your family.
May: it hurts so bad. When i think of the kids, i just can’t even breathe.…

Witness says she provided Instagram messages to the DA’s office. We have those up on the screen next:

On Screen we can see screenshots of instagram messages. The witness testified that she was concerned about may and afraid to be blocked again. “Not being able to seek counsel from others…being isolated…i was just overall concerned.”

March messages, after Covid begins:
Courtney: However you need me, I’m here
May: i miss you guys so much, but I’m coping
Courtney: you don’t have to cope you know………
(I missed a few messages here)
May: i need to just get away

In messages, which are hard to transcribe, May says that she confronted Larry about the blocking of Courtney - because he was responsible.

May: I see your posts, sometimes i think maybe my future will be better without him, but that’s not what i always think.

May: He says he’s changing…

Courtney: Doesn’t he have anyone in his life to tell him he’s not at his best?
May: his brother i think view this as I am punishing him

May says that she stayed at her sister’s house without Larry and the kids and she felt a lot better.

Courtney, at some point, found out about the affair from Maya. “It was before the summer of 2020” Courtney says.

“She told me that there was a man that she was involved with and she stepped out of her marriage and she wasn’t happy,” Witness takes a big sigh.

May: but right now i feel so broken
Courtney: I know you do but that’s why we are here, to lift you up…what about the separation scares you the most…..?
May: The kids .…I’m afraid i will not get full custody.

May told Courtney she wanted to keep the house for the kids and be able to go in freely and out freely. She said that Larry was “hyper focused“ on her.

May: I keep thinking that maybe he will change down the road and i will find my way back to him.
Courtney: he wont change, sorry may…

May: If I leave I break three little hearts

Break now.

(Maggie note: A family member needed my seat. I’m no longer in the courtroom, but the overflow is pretty good!)

Text messages
Maya: I end up yelling at him because he’s so clingy

Messages from March 26th, 2020
Bowles asks what happened that day in the conversation. Witness says that “it was no longer may, it was Larry….I could sense it was no longer her. I Was no longer messaging with May.”

Witness says that Larry asked her to stop messaging May and encouraging her to leave (Maggie note: we heard about this with Genesis’ messages)

May May how are you
Courtney:
Maya’s account: hi court this is Larry, may and i are working thingS out…Please try to be more positive with your messages…
Courtney: Larry I am trying to be a good friend but it is kind of impossible becuase i am blocked and speak with her in confidence. Just like i respect your marriage, please respect the confines of our relationship…

A later date:
Courtney: Hey may hope all is well with you in San Diego and hope you’re well and safe
May’s account: i’m okay thank you

More texts. April 4th, 2020
Maya: hey court how are you? I’m here in my room , isolated because i felt a tickle in my throat and a little stuffy nose. I think it was because i was out walking today…
Courtney: are you going to self isolate? Did you ever get my work emails?

Maya: yes i got your emails…on top of having to police peoples work…larry and i had our first counslor appoint ment but i think he’s finally got him talking and listening.

Witness describes a lot of the challenges May faced with her job and being a mom during covid: may couldn’t telework, and still had to take care of the kids while going into the office.

Insta messages on screen:
Maya: some days are better than others but not much progress with what i really want. Larry is trying but we do have setbacks i don’t know what to do with…

Courtney said that she hoped to get the group chat for Work Besties back together, as well as her friendship with Maya. “We wanted to not feel like we were being watched,” she says.

“We were not comfortable in the group chat because Larry had looked at our group chat…we couldn’t just delete May” Courtney Nixon testifies.

Courtney: You were never deleted. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. You have to unblock us.…We were monitoring our convos….
Maya: know i tried changing my password but he just gets mad…even this is monitored really

Witness testifies she believed that Larry was monitoring even Maya’s work emails.

In messages, maya says she hates having to summarize all of her conversations with Courtney to Larry. “We had to speak in code,” Courtney says.

Maya, insta message: Nowadays it’s hard to talk to anyone… i can’t imagine the hurt or the pain or the way it’ll affect the kids…

Maya message:
i cant step foot outside my room or even pack…i can’t even leave here…just being here half dead.

Courtney testifies that May usually was a quiet, reserved, private person. Over the years she grew much closer with Maya and they would say “I love you” to each other. Maya confided in Courtney. She confided in Courtney more in 2020 than before.

The IG messages include a big gap: “after the messages in april at some point i felt like it was larry, because the responses were short, she used slang and emojis that Maya would never use.”

Courtney testifies that a string of messages were also deleted, and neither Maya or Courtney knew how or why.

Courtney reads a message thread about another instance of Larry unfriending someone on Maya’s facebook - a man that Maya just wanted to catch up with when he visited town.

Courtney: Is the separation of you at your brothers house helping
Maya: I’m focusing on trying to be happy and not having anxiety everyday… but it can’t be helped….he’s still texting me and calling me and showing up at work but i think he’s trying but he he’s doing it all wrong

Maya: the more space he gives me the happier i am. i try to look…but it is hard to feel anything for him…i just feel numb except wanting to coparent.

Maya: he’s always so calculated…

Maya: long story short he read a diary that i kept in my office and last night…he stole it.

Maya: It’s so hard to make deals with him hes very insistent on what he wants. Thats why i moved out. Because he could no longer control mt movement. I wasnt thinking about divorce but that might be the only way we have peace.

Maya: he uses the kids all the time
Courtney: but they are your kids too
Maya: I don’t want to fight in front of the kids as much as possible but we have fought a lot in front of them…

Maya: And Larry does have a scary temper. Something that no one outside of the family has seen. It’s so hard to trust him...All i think about is the kids…

Courtney testifies: “It was the guilt around Larry and his parents making her feel like she wasn’t a supportive present or present parent and her divorcing him would have a negative impact…”

Messages:
Courtney: Do you feel like you’re following your heart?
Maya: honestly i don’t know i think i am but what else is better than a complete family. The kids are my world and having a stable family is everything, i think

Later, summer 2020 Messages:
Maya: most of our talks have been much better. We’re actually talking and not yelling at each other.

Bowles asks Courtney to Describe the tone of discussions with May over summer 2020: “she was uncertain of the decisions. She would say that they were working on things he would go to counseling and say he was getting better…she would feel like she wanted to try…the tone was that she always wanted to leave but stayed for the children. She was never strong or confident that she wanted to stay in the marriage.

Summer 2020, maya message to Courtney: It changed and it didn’t. Certain things still annoy me but maybe it’s because I’m more assertive…but we have had some really bad blowouts the past week.

Courtney testifies, throughout 2020 changes of Maya: “She didn’t really speak her piece. She didn’t really express her happiness. She did reach a place where she was more assertive in her happiness and that would be the best for the kids.”

“Forcing her to do things that she wasn’t comfortable with doing,” Courtney testifies that Larry was “controlling.” Break now. Lunch!

I’m taking the afternoon off to work on a newsletter and videos for you guys! An update from my friend in the courtroom: there is a clinical psychologist specializing in domestic violence

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