A Monroe County judge is considering allowing a change of venue for the trial of Daniel Messel, charged with rape and battery in 2012. The case is unrelated to Messel's murder conviction in the death of Hannah Wilson in 2015, which Messel is appealing.
Messel is charged with raping and beating a young woman in Bloomington in 2012.
Patrick Schrems, Messel's public defender, filed a motion in early May requesting a change of venue for the case. But Judge Marc Kellams was unable to hear arguments on that motion on Tuesday as planned.
Messel could not appear for the pretrial conference via video call because the court was not informed until the last minute that Messel had been moved to a different prison.
The Department of Corrections moved Messel two weeks ago from the psychiatric unit at New Castle Correctional to the maximum security Wabash Correctional Facility. Messel is serving an 80-year sentence for the murder conviction.
Prison officials would not comment on why Messel was housed in the psychiatric unit.
Judge Kellams rescheduled the pretrial conference for June 19.