NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — *WARNING: Some of the descriptions in this story may be disturbing to some viewers.
The woman accused in the murder of a Nassau County mother was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, according to Nassau County jail records.
On Apr. 5, Kessler was in her cell at the Nassau County Jail when an officer told her to stand up and move to another cell so that her cell could be sanitized, according to a report by the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.
Kessler removed her clothes and told the officers, "Okay, we can do this today," the report says. One of the officers took his OC spray out and warned her to comply, or she would be sprayed.
Then, Kessler began smearing feces that was in Styrofoam containers on herself and the walls, according to the report. The officer gave her two more warnings, but Kessler did not comply. The officer then sprayed the OC spray at Kessler's face for about one second.
Kessler began to throw feces at the officer who administered the spray and another officer standing nearby, hitting their uniforms, the report says. The officer again administered the OC spray for two seconds, however, Kessler continued to throw the feces at the officers.
One of the officers attempted to use a Taser on Kessler, but only one probe stuck to her, according to the report. The officer tried a second time and was successful in debilitating Kessler to allow the officers to move her to another cell.
Kessler was later charged with two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.
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Kessler is currently awaiting trial in the death of Joleen Cummings, a 34-year-old mother of three who was last seen on Mother’s Day in 2018.
Kessler was an employee at Cummings' Yulee hair salon. She was arrested several days after Cummings' disappearance after Kessler allegedly stole Cummings' SUV. Kessler was later charged with 1st degree murder in Sept. 2018.
In February, a Nassau County judge set Kessler's trial for Aug. 18.
Kessler's road to a trial in the case has been delayed by hearings over whether she was mentally competent to stand trial. In October 2020, a judge ruled Kessler competent to stand trial.
In February, Kessler's defense team filed two new motions to suppress evidence in the case. The motions target items taken from Kessler’s storage facility in Fernandina Beach, and include laundry, police photographs of the unit and five swabs of a “reddish brown stain” found on a pair of boots.
Her court hearings have also been peppered with outbursts suggesting an unstable mental state, according to a psychologist testifying in her defense, such as screaming profanities at the judge and acting out from inside her observation cell, one deputy stating "She is completely undressed and has feces smeared on the window," after an October 2020 hearing held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In my professional opinion, she is incompetent to proceed because of her delusional disorder,” Dr. Louis Legum said in October 2020.
Kessler notably went on a two-month hunger strike. By the end of her strike, she reportedly weighed only 89 pounds. However, testimony from hospital and jail staff said that when she was not in the jail, Kessler would “binge” eat and drink until she was returned to jail.
Kessler said the guards were attempting to poison her food.
She also attempted to fire her public defender attorney, claiming the attorney was a relative of Cummings. The judge found the claim baseless.