Suspect in Michelle Le Murder Case Denied Request for New Attorney

The suspect in the murder case of nursing student Michelle Le was denied her request for a new attorney Tuesday morning.

Giselle Esteban, 27, of Union City, will continue to be represented in the case by court-appointed attorney Andrea Auer.

The decision was made by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gary Picetti in a closed hearing Tuesday morning at the Hayward Hall of Justice where only Esteban, Auer, Picetti and a courtroom clerk were allowed to be present.

Auer told Patch that she could not comment on why Esteban was seeking new counsel.

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Esteban was originally scheduled to make a bail motion during the Monday hearing, but the motion was withdrawn. Auer told Patch that a bail motion may be revisited but not during Esteban's next scheduled hearing.

According to Auer, Esteban is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 2 to enter a plea.

Esteban is the lone suspect charged with the murder of Le, 26, of San Mateo. Le, who was last seen at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Hayward on May 27, was missing for nearly four months before .

The cause of Le's death has not yet been released.

Esteban, who is due to deliver a baby any day now, was arrested by Hayward police at her Union City home on Sept. 7.

Though Le's body was missing at that time, police said evidence, including Le’s DNA found on Esteban’s athletic shoes, footage from security cameras at the Kaiser Permanente parking structure and evidence found inside Le's car, led to Esteban's arrest.