Murder suspect, Butler Co. native Kimberly Kessler’s competency still in question

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — The case against a former Butler County woman accused of murder in Florida can’t move forward until competency is resolved, a judge decided Thursday, according to our sister station Action News Jax.

Kimberly Kessler was arrested in the death of her 34-year-old co-worker Joleen Cummings.

Cummings, who worked with Kessler at a hair salon, was reported missing on May 14, 2018. She was supposed to meet her ex-husband to pick up her three kids but never showed up. She is presumed dead, according to investigators.

Prosecutors said they are ready to move forward with a criminal trial. A Nassau County judge said the question surrounding her competency must be resolved once and for all if the case is to move forward.

Kessler has been evaluated by multiple psychologists since being arrested, however, her mental competency hasn’t been decided.

In April 2021, Kessler was charged with battery against two law enforcement officers for attacking them with feces from her jail cell.

Kessler has used 18 different aliases and lived in 33 cities in 14 states since 1996, the Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper told our sister station Action News Jax.

The next hearing in Kessler’s to determine her competency is scheduled for June 30 at 9 a.m.

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