Police: Suspect Linked To TV Anchor Slay

Forensic Evidence Gave Police A Case Against Arkansas Man In Brutal Murder Of Anne Pressley

(AP)  Police said Friday they talked to the suspect in the slaying of a TV anchorwoman before his arrest this week and gathered physical evidence they say links him to the slaying.

Lt. Terry Hastings told The Associated Press on Friday that detectives interviewed Curtis Lavelle Vance at his home in Marianna and collected forensic evidence in the death of Anne Pressly.

Hastings said the case against Vance "was made off of forensics." Hastings declined to say how they obtained the evidence - whether it willing given by Vance or taken without his knowledge. In Arkansas, police can obtain evidence from discarded material or trash - DNA evidence from a cigarette butt, for example - without a warrant.

Deputy prosecutor John Hout said the evidence found in the victim's home tied Vance to the killing. Hout wouldn't specify whether it was DNA evidence or other material.

Vance, 28, was arrested without incident Wednesday night on suspicion of capital murder in the Oct. 20 attack on Pressly, 26, a morning anchorwoman for Little Rock's ABC affiliate, KATV. She died five days later, having never regained consciousness.

Tips from the public led to the arrest within a couple of hours after police publicly named Vance and his picture was broadcast on television. Vance was arrested at a home in central Little Rock, which is some 90 miles from Marianna, where he lives.

At a closed court hearing Friday, Judge Lee Munson ordered Vance held without bond. Hout said Vance said nothing during the short hearing, which was held inside the Pulaski County jail because courts were closed Friday. Hout said Vance did not enter a plea.

Earlier, Hastings, said he did not know if Vance had an attorney. He said a public defender would likely be appointed.

Valerie Cooper, the mother of Vance's girlfriend, Sheanika Cooper, told KATV that she learned of the charge Thursday morning and doesn't believe Vance committed the crime. She said he has "a real nice personality."

"He didn't give me no kind of hint or nothing. It shocked me," she said. "I don't want to believe he did something like that."

When police announced Wednesday that they were looking for Vance, they had said he might be with Sheanika Cooper and three children. But they was not with him when he was arrested later that day.

Police did not disclose what led them to suspect Vance in the first place.

Hastings had said previously that DNA and other evidence from the scene gave police a portrait of the person they were looking for, though they did not have a name until this month.

One of Pressly's credit cards was used at a gas station after the beating, but Hastings said security camera footage didn't provide a good look at the person using it.

Asked if Vance had made a formal statement after his arrest, Hastings said: "He talked with detectives. I'll leave it at that."

Pressly's father, Guy Cannady, attended the news conference where Vance's picture was distributed by police.

"It's very difficult to look at the picture, just knowing what Anne went through, that that was the last guy that Anne saw in her life," he said before Vance's arrest.

Pressly's mother found Pressly early on the morning of Oct. 20. She had checked on her daughter after she didn't answer her daily wake-up call.

Pressly appeared briefly in the Oliver Stone movie "W" as a conservative commentator who speaks favorably of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" event on an aircraft carrier after the start of the Iraq war. She got the part when she was noticed by a casting director as she did a news story on the film while it was being shot in Shreveport, La.

[american1231]

Don''t mention crime RACISTS. CRIME: YOU *** near EXTERMINATED the Indians. CRIME: Raped, murdered, harrassed, experimented on and stole from blacks for CENTURIES. CRIME: Created WHITE WELFARE SYSTEM BY illegally stealing money from BLACK MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN in the form of 300 YEARS OF FREE LABOR ALSO KNOW AS ENSLAVEMENT! SAT ON YOUR LAZY ***** WHILE WE WORKED SUN UP TO SUN DOWN, BIRTH TO DEATH FOR FREE. POCKETED OUR PROFITS! CRIME: ANNEXED AND STOLE HAWAII. CRIME: ANNEXED AND STOLE THE PHILIPPINES, STOLE NATURAL RESOURCES, SUBJUGATED AND MURDERED CITIZENS. CRIME. DITTO VIRGIN ISLANDS, SAMOA, TEXAS, NEVADA "NEW" MEXICO, ETC.

CRIME: Jury rig courts to RAILROAD blacks and other "non-whites" for LESSER CRIMES THAN WHITES.

CRIME: Attempt to portray BLACKS and other non-whites as poor, scary villians when in REALITY, GOVERNMENT STATISTICS SHOW THERE ARE MORE WHITES ON WELFARE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP, MORE CRIME IS COMMITTED BY WHITES THAN ANY OTHER GROUP, MORE POOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WHITE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP (SHOW POOR WHITES IN WEST VIRGINIA AND DOWN SOUTH WHO YOU ATTEMPT TO HIDE TO SUPPORT YOUR WEAK LIES. AND THEY SUFFER BECAUSE YOU ACT LIKE YOUR OWN PEOPLE DON''T EXIST).

Wake up out of your FANTASY LAND. Everyone AROUND THE WORLD KNOWS YOU LIE AND CREATE RACIAL MISCHIEF CONTINUALLY AND INCESSANTLY. You BS is OVER. Don''t you DARE call BLACKS criminals. We''ve all been putting up with your FIENDISH CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ON PERSONAL AND WORLD SCALE FOR CENTURIES.

[american1231]

And the way they "find" "suspects" with trumped up racial charges, I won''t be at all surprised if this guy is totally innocent and the perpetrator is someone she knew who led the cops astray such as the Boston redneck who said "THE BLACK GUY SHOT ME AND MY WIFE" only to find out later that HE SHOT HIMSELF AND HIS WIFE! Or the Southern redneck who said she and her children were KIDNAPPED BY THE SCARY BLACK GUY only to find out she murdered her own children by driving them into a lake! HOW ABOUT RECENTLY WHEN THE RACIST MCCAIN SUPPORTER CARVED OBAMA''S INITIALS IN HER FREAKIN FACE AND USED THE TIME HONORED RACE BAITING/HATING MICHEVIOUS LIE (TOGETHER NOW): A BLACK GUY DID THIS TO ME... SHE''S AS BACKWARDS AS HER WRITING AND MOST OF YOU SICK, ENTRENCHED RACIST ON THIS AND OTHER WEBSITES. P. S. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, NOBODY''S BUYING YOUR SCARE TACTICS AND LIES!

[american1231]

One last post: THANKSGIVING. Should be more like THANKSTAKING. TOOK THE INDIANS LAND, RESOURCES, LIVES, FUTURES, LIED ABOUT THEIR PAST.

AND YOU CALL THIS THANKSGIVING? THANK WHO??

AND ALL THE NON WHITES ARE BAD GUYS???

YEAH RIGHT!!!!!!!

[Gumbercules54]

On one side...all blacks have criminal tendancies.
On the other side...because the suspect is black he is obviously innocent.
Everybody sides with their own race.
Is that racism, or bigotry, or prejudice? Which one or combination is it?

[honestabe8]

American1321: Do you seriously believe that all white folks believe that all blacks have these "criminal tendencies"? In terms of everybody siding with their own race, what of those of us who are neither white nor black? What the inbred white supremicists call "mud people"?

[Gumbercules54]

I would say that everybody sides with their own race or gene pool. Not that everybody hates everybody else.
And I was referring to the posters here.

[Gumbercules54]

By the way, I am a mongrel myself.

[sioux4life1]

Remember guilty until proven innocent. But by the looks of this photo of the guy, kinda says it all. Just another upstanding citizen in the community. NOT

[edecker1969]

African American, suprised?

[edecker1969]

Obamas brother?

[generey]

African American, suprised?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by edecker1969 at 07:28 AM : Nov 27, 2008

Black amarican. Nothing indicates he was ever of african nationality or even knows where Africa is.

[ustaxpayer]

When this story originally broke a person predicted on this site it would be an African American as the perpetrator. Stereotyping or educated guess?

[honestabe8]

USTAXPAYER: My guess would be stereotyping. It would likely not be an educated guess if the person who made the prediction had not been close to the tragedy.

[inglind]

I''m not going to look at all of the comments to see at what point this turned racial...I''m just glad they finally made an arrest in this case and hope it is the right guy.

[berniepeders]

Black American. Nothing indicates he was ever of African nationality or even knows where Africa is.

Posted by GeneRey

I agree...when are they going to stop referring to black people as ''African-Americans''? People who were BORN in Africa and come to America are African-Americans. If they''re born here, then they''re simply black Americans.
Peace

[impeach___w]

Actually, They can determine race from DNA. Some DNA info does not change over generations which is different in males and females. Therefore if an ancestor came from Africa, The person is usually black. Even the tribal region in Africa Can be narrowed down.

The DNA cannot identify Citizenship. They should have said African acestry until the arrest or positive identification. Then is it would be safe to say American once citizenship is determined or Black American if giving a description of the person is the goal or if Race is an important label to you.

[berniepeders]

YOU near EXTERMINATED the Indians...SAT ON YOUR LAZY ***** WHILE WE WORKED SUN UP TO SUN DOWN,...YOU LIE AND CREATE RACIAL MISCHIEF CONTINUALLY AND INCESSANTLY...Posted by AMERICAN1231

And when are people like this going to get over the fact that slavery EXISTED (past tense) and realize that no one owns slaves in the U.S. today. There are thousands of black doctors, lawyers, politicians, you name it, that are smarter and richer than me, and I object to hearing people whine about being ''oppressed'' by the evil white establishment. Get a grip, get an education, and get over yourself!
Peace

[berniepeders]

Oh yeah, AMERICAN1231, when was the last time that you personally worked ''sunup to sundown'' for free? I''ll bet you are not now and have never been, a slave. Am I right?
Peace

[cloudninedes]

truth is - people are sick to death of "black American" men and the level of crime they produce. that''s why race is brought into the conversation. facts are facts, sad but true. either way, this man is absolutely EVIL - to break into a home and beat a woman until she is nearly dead is ABSOLUTE EVIL. i pray that God wipes him from the face of the earth. and as he''s strapped to the death chair and administered the drugs that stop his heart - i pray he feels EVERY BIT OF PAIN HE CAUSED ANN PRESSLEY.

[spinproof]

truth is - people are sick to death of "black American" men and the level of crime they produce. that''''s why race is brought into the conversation. facts are facts, sad but true. either way, this man is absolutely EVIL - to break into a home and beat a woman until she is nearly dead is ABSOLUTE EVIL. i pray that God wipes him from the face of the earth. and as he''''s strapped to the death chair and administered the drugs that stop his heart - i pray he feels EVERY BIT OF PAIN HE CAUSED ANN PRESSLEY.

Posted by cloudninedes at 08:16 AM : Nov 27, 2008

The "real victim" here is the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" which seemed to murdered in our nation a long time ago. Lets at least make sure this dude did it first. All too often the final investigation proves otherwise, let the system work.

[ladyephesus1]

Cloudninedes,

What about Charles Manson and Jeffrey Daumer??
Did you forget what color they were?

and yes im african american, so bring it on!!

[spinproof]

send them back to Africa!!

Posted by Hackerpc at 08:22 AM : Nov 27, 2008

Thats a silly statement! Neither Whites or Blacks originate from the U.S., and those born in the U.S. are not from Europe or Africa and can''t be sent back to anywhere. The only ones who could be sent back to Africa are those who were born in Africa.

[earache4]

send them back to Africa!!
Posted by Hackerpc at 08:22 AM

The country or the continent?

[ladyephesus1]

Hackerpc,

You can ROT in the place opposite of Heaven!!

[ladyephesus1]

OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT FOR ALL YOU PREJUDICE A**HOLES!!

why don''t you racists take off the sheets and put them back on your bed, pack your bags, and get the hell out of my country. Go start your own white supremicist country someplace. The man is a criminal, period. The worst criminals in history are WHITE. I imagine you''ve got John Wayne Gacey posters hanging on your bedroom wall. Moronic pigs.

[downsteamjim]

It could have been a lot worse. She could have been black and him white. In that case, it would have been a ''hate crime''.

[chad55555]

This is proof that blacks kill more whites in this country then whites has ever harmed blacks in history. Think about it the last time a black said she was harmed was the brawley case in NYC,4 whites were locked up but it was found out that she had lied on them.Remember how Sharpton,Jackson and that black female talk show host wanted them killed because they were white.I AM SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING HOW THE BLACKS ARE TREATED AND EVERYDAY THIS HAPPENS IN THIS COUNTRY.NOW WE HAE ONE AS A SO CALLED LEADER,WHAT NEXT A BLACK MILITARY ARMY MAKING SURE WHITES HAVE TO GO AND MAKING AN EXCUSE WHITES HAVE BEEN SO BAD TO US(NOT TRUE). READ YOUR HISTORY AND STUDY HUMAN NATURE AND YOU:LL KNOW WHATS NEXT FOR AMERICA REMEMBER ROME !
T WOULD BE NICE IF PEOPLE COULD LIVE IN PEACE AND EQUAL RIGHTS COULD BE PASSED WITH LAWS BUT HISTORY DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.LOOK AT HOW THEIR KILLING EACH OTHER IN AFRICA SINCE THE COUNTRY WAS TURNED BACK OVER TO BLACK CONTROL,REMEMBER IN THE IVORY COAST LAST YEAR WHEN THE LEADER TOLD ON RADIO FOR BLACKS TO KILL ALL WHITE FARMERS AND TAKE THE LAND. HUMAN NATURE. WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO THIS COUNTRY. I AM NOT A RACIST BUT KNOWING HISTORY I AM A REALIST.

[jodyrae4]

Is this considered a "Hate Crime"? or is it just when whites kill blacks?

[thefan08-2009]

Welcome to kkkamerica. i just love it when i get a chance to say that, because it is true.

Send blacks back to africa, well why dont you try. blacks kill white people and vice versa. so the un-educated white people on here need to shut up or go to your kkk parties as usually. one guy kill a woman. how about 4 cops who shot a black guy 41 times in newyork for taking out his wallet. how about black people that have been dragged behinde cars, or beaten by police, or other cowards like some of you who runs in packs and attack others from behinde.

The last thing white people need to talk about is how violent other races are. whites are without the shadow of a doubt the most violent race of people in this world, so deal with it. I mean, how many American soldiers have Bush sent to their grave by the war in iraq. How many wars, world war1 and 2 when some crazy white dude killed 5 million jews.

so i would like the violent white race whine like little girls because a black guy killed a white woman. i feel sorry for her that she died. but for some hunkys on here to say deport them to Africa. well you can come try. kkkamerica lol

[berniepeders]

demswin08:

Your response to cloudninedes is just as bigoted and hateful as the posts he/she makes. Why is bigotry and hatred wrong when it''s something YOU don''t agree with, but it''s OK when it''s coming from you? I''m sure you''ve heard the old saying ''Two wrongs don''t make a right''. The world is full of people, and they all have their opinions, and some are right and some are wrong. Get over it.
Peace

[downsteamjim]

thefan08: Take some time and go to the U. S. Department of Justice web site. Using 7th grade math, you will be able to determine who is more likely to be the prepetrator and who the victim in black/white murder.
The media will not do this because the answer is not politically correct.

[berniepeders]

Could someone who is black please tell me why they are so adamant about being identified as ''AFRICAN-American''? Why are you so proud of your African heritage? From what I''ve read and seen, Africa is a pretty messed up place, with a bunch of homicidal maniacs running the military and the governments, and they are slaughtering their own people. For WHAT? I''m not trying to offend anyone, but I don''t understand.
Peace

[runningralph]

Police have said in the past that was no forced entry. Mr. Vance had probably been in this woman''s home many times. Women often believe they can change a man through sexual favors. They believe that if they cast their pearls before swine, the swine will become better. More often the swine will become infuriated that the women are presumptive and patronizing. Savage beatings are not unusual results. In Tennessee in the 1890''s a young black man was caught with a white girl and was going to be lynched. The lynchers relented when they learned that the black man had been with the white girl many times. This story was told to me by someone who had been there. Times change but women are still women.

[thefan08-2009]

downsteamjim

you must be the biggest idiot ever. how many people have the kkk killed, how many pople have died due to wars that have been waged and you talk about me having a 8th grade education. you see the diffenrece between you and me with our post. i stated facts,and just chose to talk like an idiot. how about you take americas past and present then state facts because i would like you to teach me how blacks have been more violent than whites. so please help school me since all i have is my 8th grade education.

[berniepeders]

''This story was told to me by someone who had been there.'' Posted by runningralph

An axiom I learned long ago, ''Believe half of what you read, and none of what you hear''.
Peace

[berniepeders]

..how many people have the kkk killed..Posted by thefan08

How many people HAVE the KKK killed? I certainly don''t know, but do you? Killing anyone because of the color of their skin is indefensible, and I abhor the KKK, but I likewise abhor the killing of ANY innocent person by anyone.
Peace

[thefan08-2009]

berniepeders

we are proud of our African heritage because the never shows the good part of Africa only the negatives becaus thats waht sell. Thats why people who travel outside the country see a difference. i lived in Africa and i remember before i ever here when i was 15, all you ever saw about america were nice houses and areas. they neglect to show restricted cities like most places down south were blacks arent welcome and the ghettos. pretty much you got a false indentification of America. so in return the media shows you the same thing, but untill you yourself go there then you understand.

But to finish answering your question we are pround our african heritage just as you are of yours.

[downsteamjim]

thefan08: I am sorry that the math was too tough for you. By the way, I am talking about the present. Thankfully, the KKK is weak and dying.

[berniepeders]

thefan08: Thank you for taking the time to reply. It may sound naive of me, but the only exposure I''ve ever had to Africa has been on televised documentaries. There are many beautiful areas of your homeland, and I hope there are many peaceful areas as well. I agree with you that the media presents a tainted picture, both of Africa and of America. I''m sure you''re correct, it''s ''what sells''. It''s just a shame that such violence still exists in this day and age. Hope you and yours have a pleasant Thanksgiving.
Peace

[thefan08-2009]

berniepeders

if you think i am defending this peace of *** then you are bladly mistanking. i will never defend anyone who kills anyone. my girlfriend of 2 years is white and our 2 boys are mixed. but i was responding to post on here about white people saying blacks should be shipped back to africa and that blacks were the more violent race. so dont twist my words because i will never rejoice to anyone of any race been killed, but also i dont exactly how many blacks the kkk have kill but they have kill thousands since their inception in the late 1800s.

[nodick4u]

why must everything be RACE RELATED,why could this not be one sick *** individual killing without any real purpose....we as a society share the BLAME for many of the senseless crimes committed..!Can''t we come together long enough to mourn the lost of a productive,beloved,successful,humanbeing...??!!

[slim1h2o]

thefan08 at 09:39 AM : Nov 27, 2008

What a moron,,there''s no "restricted cities in the south anymore, never really was, just areas that blacks were not welcome. like restaurants, and some other places. But not the whole city...
Better learn your history, and English..You might not be able to pass your citizenship test otherwise.

[thefan08-2009]

downsteamjim

what math? so far you are the one not stating any facts. i am still waiting for you to school me, and why are we only talking about the present, so all the people killed by whites early in Americas history dont count and why is that. so please when you do respond school me on how blacks kill more whites than black do. since you are good with history and the present and apprently math also.

[berniepeders]

if you think i am defending this peace of *** then you are bladly mistanking...so dont twist my words ...Posted by thefan08

Jeez, buddy, lighten up. What did I post that makes you so defensive? I never said ANYTHING that would intimate that you were defending the guy, and I don''t recall trying to ''twist your words''. Take a chill pill, friend.
Peace

[rushlimpdrug]

we are proud of our African heritage because the never shows the good part of Africa only the negatives becaus thats waht sell. Thats why people who travel outside the country see a difference. i lived in Africa and i remember before i ever here when i was 15, all you ever saw about america were nice houses and areas. they neglect to show restricted cities like most places down south were blacks arent welcome and the ghettos. pretty much you got a false indentification of America. so in return the media shows you the same thing, but untill you yourself go there then you understand.
But to finish answering your question we are pround our african heritage just as you are of yours.
Posted by thefan08 at 09:39 AM


Whatever.

Africa is a cancer on the world.

That is not a racist comment but rather
just a comment.

[thefan08-2009]

slim1h2o

my parents were African, but i was born in England, you know that country that taught the world their language. and i guess i must be mistakenly misunderstood whites burning crossing in front of black peoples homes to drive them away from their cities as trying to restrict their cities, or not giving the same justice to blacks to make them move out. i guess i must mistook those for whites restricting their cities. you need to go back and check american history. and i am waiting to stumped by you super smart people. so please you and the rest of people on here need to explain to me how blacks are more violent.

[berniepeders]

...so please you and the rest of people on here need to explain to me how blacks are more violent.
Posted by thefan08...

Don''t you watch the news, or read newspapers? I''m not trying to say that white people don''t commit violent crimes, but the vast majority of reports of violent crime are perpetrated by black men. I don''t make the news up, I just see it every day. And it''s not always black on white crime, it''s probably even more black on black. I can''t explain why it is happening, but it just is. Ignoring it will not make it go away.
Peace

[rushlimpdrug]

Posted by thefan08 at 09:57 AM

you have answered your own question.

It is all about the blacks.

It is always all about the blacks.

and it is never their fault.

just ask them.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by thefan08 at 09:57 AM : Nov 27, 2008

That''s called intimidation. One "might"be intimidated to the point that one might want to stay away, but that''s the only way though.

And your insistence that crosses were burnt in the cities, well most that were burnt, were mostly in the country, away from the cities.