NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Opening statements begin Monday in the murder trial of a Nassau County woman accused of killing her Yulee salon coworker.
Kimberly Kessler is charged with the murder of 34-year-old Joleen Cummings, who was reported missing in May of 2018. Cummings' body has never been found.
Kessler was escorted out of court first thing after an outburst caused a distraction in the courtroom.
Once she was taken out, prosecutors and defense attorneys began opening statements Monday morning. The Judge says Kessler will be allowed back into the courtroom if she asks the bailiff and does not pose any future distractions.
Warning: Some descriptions of evidence below may include graphic content that may be disturbing to readers.
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5:01 p.m. Court ends for the day after prosecution goes through several more witnesses including a Flash Foods employee and a cab driver who picked up Kessler.
4:43 p.m.: Defense attorneys attempts to introduce evidence of connecting Cummings to possible drugs found inside salon, suggesting it was a coverup by the NCSO. This upsets Cummings family.
2:41 p.m.: Nassau County shows detective who lead the investigation shows jury pictures of a person identified as Kessler throwing items into a dumpster and buying items from Walmart including an electric knife and gloves on the night Cummings disappeared.
2:15 p.m.: If you are hearing static on the live feed right now, it's because the judge has turned on his white noise machine for a sidebar conference @FCN2go
11:41 a.m.: Simmons testifies Tangles hair salon had an odd smell when she returned after #JoleenCummings vanished, as well as a potted plant that had not been there, in place of one that had @FCN2go
11:39 a.m.: Simmons testifies Kimberly Kessler called the salon after Joleen Cummings' disappearance and sounded "High strung and talking very very very very fast like 90 miles an hour."
11:30 a.m.: Vicki Simmons reviews the salon's appointment book, noting that in the days leading up to May 12, 2018 the detailed info it usually held like customer last names, phone numbers.
10:19 a.m.: Next witness: Daniel Sawyer
•Was getting a hair cut on May 12 before starting a new internship on Monday
•Identified the defendant as the person who cut his hair
•Describes #KimberlyKessler as pleasant that day
10 a.m.: The witness described Cummings being tired day due to a busy day of hair apts. because it was prom. Witness described the defendant as pacing & frustrated w/ a client. Cross-examination beginning now.
9:51 a.m.: Next witness: Ashley Nunelly was a client of Joleen Cumming’s for 6-7 years. Says they talked about life, were friends on social media, & her sister had an apt. with Cummings on May 12.
9:45 a.m.: The detective says Kessler told him she was worried about her name being involved in the case because she didn’t want an abusive ex to be able to find her.
9:43 a.m.: Defense has begun cross examination of detective Harrington Wayne confirming he knew Joleen Cummings’ stepfather who worked at the jail.
9:36 a.m.: Harrington says he attempted to contact Kessler on May 14 after learning the address she gave Tangles was bogus. Kessler called the next morning and gave a "long explanation" about how she can't be associated with a police investigation because her ex was a stalker.
9:33 a.m.: Lead detective Wayne Harrington, who joined the case when it was still a missing persons case, testifies that Cummings' phone and credit card were not used after May 12, 2018. He says Kessler was the last person to see her alive.
9:22 a.m.: "These are wounds of a defensive nature," Townsend tells jurors of Kessler's injuries, found after her arrest. "Clearly a fight, a violent conflict" occurred, notes Kessler's blood was found, too. "She didn't plan this. There was no premeditation in this case."
9:16 a.m.: "A lot of this case is not in dispute," Public Defender Tom Townsend tells jurors. He urges them not to reach a decision until the end of the case. He tells them that a dispute over drugs is central to the case. He tells jurors Kessler's phone search history is a "web search taken out of context."
9:13 a.m.: Thurston tells jurors about extensive blood evidence found inside Tangles salon, exposed by Luminol, showing an attempt to clean it up. She says tests confirmed it was Cummings' blood and DNA.
9:10 a.m.: Prosecutor Donna Thurston says Kessler searched "Joleen Cummings no body no crime" on her cellphone following the 34-year-old's disappearance.
9:07 a.m.: Thurston lays out strong circumstantial evidence: video of Kessler leaving Cummings' SUV at the Yulee Home Depot parking lot, discarding a bin behind Tangles salon that had Cummings' blood and fingernail inside, Kessler's boots and scissors with Cummings blood on them.
9:01 a.m.: Prosecutor Donna Thurston tells jurors Joleen Cummings planned to make a Mother's Day gift with her children for her mom (their grandmother) Ann Johnson. "As she had plans for the next day of her life, the defendant had plans for her death."
8:44 a.m.: Judge Daniel instructs the jury on the rules of the trial. He tells jurors they may not allow Kessler's absence from the courtroom to affect them "in any way."
8:30 a.m.: The trial begins with Kessler entering the courtroom, stating that she refuses to be represented by her team of public defenders and again claiming that attorney Jordan Beard is Cummings' cousin. The two are not related, but Kessler has made the claim in outbursts during several of her most recent court appearances.
The judge has Kessler removed for being disruptive.
Story continues below.
Kessler, 53, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. Her mental status has been the subject of court hearings off and on throughout the three and half years since Cummings disappeared, with the judge finding her competent to stand trial despite hunger strikes and reports of behavior such as allegedly throwing feces at corrections officers.
You can watch the entire trial on the First Coast News app or by clicking on the red "Live Video" banner at www.firstcoastnews.com. The entire trial will also be streamed on the First Coast News YouTube page. Follow @schindy on Twitter for live courtroom updates.
