DUBLIN, Calif. — A Bay Area defense attorney’s discovery of a recording of a confidential conversation with her client while reviewing evidence in a murder case has raised new constitutional concerns about attorney-client communications, according to the Mercury News.
Just weeks before trial, Deputy Public Defender Sara Star came into possession of a recording of a meeting with her client, Crystal Espinoza, that was “pulled from more than 150 jail audio files.”
Espinoza, who had no prior criminal history, is charged with murder in the death of her estranged boyfriend, Jesus Gallegos, inside a Dublin apartment. Following the revelation, Espinoza was released from jail without bail on April 14, and defense attorneys questioned whether Alameda County authorities improperly recorded privileged attorney-client communications…