DA's Investigator Testifies To Larry Millete's Internet Search History

CHULA VISTA, CA — A Chula Vista man accused of murdering his wife because she sought to divorce him made a variety of internet searches less than a year before she disappeared related to "painless" methods of death, suicide and hypnosis, a District Attorney's Office investigator testified Thursday.

Investigator James Rhoades testified that the user of an email account tied to Larry Millete conducted numerous Google searches in March and April of 2020 related to death via gunshot, hemlock plants, carbon monoxide poisoning and sleeping pills.

The self-described "whistleblower" email account was referenced in the trial earlier this week, as the executive director of Southwest Regional Maintenance Center --where May Millete worked -- testified that a person using that account messaged him and accused May of engaging in "fraternization" with a male co-worker.

The sender mentioned, "Her husband was quite upset about it," according to testimony.

Rhoades noted on Thursday that the user of the whistleblower account misspelled the acronym for Southwest Regional Maintenance Center in the same way that Larry did in requests he made to "spell casters" he wanted to magically influence May to remain in the marriage.

Rhoades testified that the totality of the evidence in the case "clearly shows this account was used by Larry Millete."

Other searches made through the account explored topics of suicide and its aftermath, such as how to commit suicide painlessly and whether life insurance would be void in the event of suicide.

The user also searched for the effects of hypnosis, with search terms like, "how long does a hypnotic suggestion last," "how to become a hypnotist" and "how to hypnotize someone to love you."

A number of other searches touched on a wife's unhappiness and desire for separation, while others explored what constitutes appropriate women's attire in the workplace and what outfits would be considered too revealing.

The user also searched for information on how to tell if one's wife had sex with another man, then immediately afterwards conducted a search for "lie detector test san diego."

May Millete's friends and co-workers have testified that leading up to her disappearance, she complained of her husband's possessive behavior, which included tracking her whereabouts, accessing her social media accounts and controlling her finances.

When May appeared resolute to divorce him, Millete bought a number of magic spells from supposed magic practitioners that he believed could make May fall back in love with him or depend on him, prosecutors allege. Those spell requests later sought to exert control over May by incapacitating her so she would depend on Larry, while others requested to "break her will," as well as "banish" aspects of May's life that did not directly concern Larry or her immediate family, such as her job and her friends, Rhoades testified.

Prosecutors allege Larry's obsessive behavior regarding his wife stands in stark contrast to how he acted after she disappeared. Deputy District Attorney Christy Bowles told jurors in her opening statements that Larry "seemed unconcerned" about where his wife was, didn't take part in the numerous searches for May in the months that followed and ceased requests for any more spells to be cast on May.

May Millete has not been seen or heard from since Jan. 7, 2021. Police have said there is no evidence of May leaving the family's Chula Vista home after the afternoon of Jan. 7, nor any evidence to suggest she was alive after that date.

By JASON KUROSU / City News Service