Daniel Messel, already serving a prison sentence for the murder of IU student Hannah Wilson in 2015, now faces charges of an attempted rape in Bloomington in 2012.
On the same day the new charges were filed, Messel officially appealed the murder conviction to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Messel's court-appointed public defender for the trial, Dorie Maryan, is no longer defending him.
Mesesl's new public defender, Kurt Young, says he doesn't know the grounds for the appeal yet because he's waiting to get the complete trial records from the Brown County court.
The entire appeals process is done in writing, which means Messel will never actually appear in a courtroom.
Young says he and the Indiana Attorney General's office will alternate filing their arguments in court until the panel of judges reaches a decision.
"Of course, it's going to depend on what issues are argued, but their options are pretty wide," Young says.
The judges could overturn the conviction, grant Messel a new trial, adjust his sentence or a number of other possibilities. It all depends on what Messel and Young argue in the appeal.
Young says the new charges from 2012 will have no impact on the murder conviction appeal.
Since the murder case is in Brown County and the attempted rape took place in Monroe County, Messel will be appointed a separate public defender.