Attorney accused of having sex with inmate defends client in attempted murder trial

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – An attorney accused of having sex with an inmate at the main Broward County jail was in court Monday as her client's attempted murder trial began.

Jessica Mishali sat next to her client, Ysreal Granda, 26, of Opa-locka, in a Broward County courtroom, a show of solidarity for what she called "a very good, strong, trusting attorney-client relationship."

Mishali, whose married name is Jessica David, and Granda were "engaged in what appeared to be sexual intercourse" when a deputy at the main Broward County jail walked in on them Jan. 27, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office incident report.

"It's false, and I recently received information from BSO's legal counsel that the investigation has concluded and that they could not conclude that sexual intercourse took place," Mishali told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic.

Mishali was initially banned from all BSO jails. A judge later ruled that she could visit Granda in jail, but only from behind a glass window.

"However, they still forced me to meet with Mr. Granda behind a glass, which has significantly impeded his defense," Mishali said.

Mishali claims that she was framed because her client was set to cooperate in a BSO investigation involving deputies. She said she still gets harassed by the BSO as a result.

"BSO continues to target us," Mishali said. "In fact, my locker was broken into at BSO about a week ago. So they tried to go through my phone. So it's not over."

Mishali said her focus is on her client as she works to prove his innocence.

"Mr. Granda is 100 percent innocent, and I plan to continue to defend him," she said.

The trial is expected to last about a week.