Police say Gabriela Espinosa confessed to killing her two-month-old boy earlier this month. Public defenders say Espinosa suffered from postpartum depression and was on the run from an abusive husband.
The county will now pay a private attorney to take over the case. The Public Defender's Office has lost more than thirty-percent of its attorneys, and half its investigators in the last few years.
Managers decided to hand off the case, in spite of a connection with Espinosa.
Public Defender, Margarita Martinez said, "I felt that I'd built a relationship already and it pained me this morning to have to walk into the courtroom and tell her we were not going to represent her. And I think it was very hard for her. In fact, she did cry when I told her that."
The baby's father was also in court today, but he declined to talk to Action News.
