Some traditional Filipinos believe in spellcasting as a type of magic performed by witches.
Days before California mom Maya Millete disappeared, her husband, Larry Millete, reached out to spellcasters, asking them to to “punish” and “incapacitate” her, according to messages shared by authorities. Maya’s last known call was to a divorce attorney, and authorities believe her husband may have attempted to employ magic as a last-ditch effort before allegedly murdering his wife, according to the latest episode of “48 Hours.”
“Larry was trying to hold onto Maya, and he resorted to contacting what are called spellcasters,” San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan said shortly after Larry’s arrest, KGTV reported.
One of the messages he wrote to the spellcasters read, “Please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can’t leave the house. It’s time to take the gloves off,” authorities said, according to “48 Hours.”
At another point, Larry allegedly requested a curse on his wife that would cause her to be hurt on a family dirt-bike trip so she would be stuck on bedrest, according to KSWB.
“He was asking May to become incapacitated, for May to be in an accident, to have broken bones so that she could stay at home,” Stephan explained. “Thus displaying homicidal ideations to harm May.”
Larry and Maya, who sometimes goes by May, are Filipino Americans, and spellcasting is a practice sometimes employed by witches in traditional Filipino culture, although many younger generations do not believe in the magic.
“Let’s say, for example, I’m the ‘mambabarang,’ or witch,” said Filipino language teacher Rey Idos, according to KSWB. “You would hire me to cast a spell on somebody you don’t like.”
Larry allegedly found someone to practice spellcasting on Maya online, authorities said in an affidavit. “Can you hex to have her hurt enough that she will have to depend on me and need my help,” he wrote in an email, according to KSWB, citing the affidavit. “She’s only nice to me when she needs me or sick.”
Larry, 40, was arrested in October 2021 and currently remains in jail with no bail awaiting his murder trial. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and maintains that Maya left on her own.
“She did say if anything happens to her, it might be her husband,” Maya’s sister told Inside Edition.
Maya disappeared in Jan. 2021 from their Chula Vista home on the weekend of her eldest daughter’s birthday. Her family members say it is unlike her to leave her children, “48 Hours” reported.
Maya and Larry have three kids together, 5 10 and 11 years old, and a criminal protective order is now preventing Larry from contacting his kids from prison, according to KNSD. The three children now live with Larry’s parents following a long custody battle, the outlet reported.
