JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Editor's Note: The video above is from a previous story date Jan. 27, 2022.
The attorney for Kimberly Kessler filed an appeal Tuesday to her conviction for the murder of Joleen Cummings.
In December, a Nassau County jury found Kessler guilty of first-degree murder and grand theft auto. She was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole in January.
On Tuesday, Kessler's public defender Elizabeth Hogan Webb filed an appeal to her conviction and sentence. The appeal comes less than a month after Judge James Daniel denied the defense's motion for a new trial.
Kessler was convicted in December in the May 2018 disappearance and presumed death of 34-year-old Joleen Cummings, a Yulee hairdresser and mother of three, whose body has never been found.
Kessler worked briefly at the Tangles hair salon before Cummings vanished.
Life in prison is the mandatory sentence in a first-degree murder case where the death penalty isn’t sought. But Judge Daniel said the sentence would be imposed whether required or not.
"Even if it wasn’t a mandatory sentence, life without the possibly of parole would be absolutely be appropriate," he said.
One of the main themes of throughout the case was Kessler's mental competency.
After initially declaring her mentally incompetent to stand trial, the judge later said Kessler was capable of understanding the case against her.
She refused to participate in the trial, however, and created disruptions during her brief court appearances. She spent most of the trial in a separate room with a video link to the proceedings.
RELATED: 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry:' Convicted killer Kimberly Kessler attempted suicide twice, jail records show
During her time at the Nassau County Jail, records show she attempted suicide twice, went on a hunger strike and had numerous issues with deputies.
She was transferred from the Nassau County Jail to state prison on Jan. 28.