Ark. Man Convicted in Death of Anchorwoman

Jury Convicts Man of Capital Murder in Brutal Beating Death of TV Anchor Anne Pressly

(AP)  A man who told police he had been hoping to steal a laptop was convicted of capital murder Wednesday in the beating of an Arkansas TV anchorwoman so brutal that her face was shattered and she never regained consciousness.

The panel was to reconvene later Wednesday to weigh whether Curtis Lavelle Vance should be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole for the Oct. 20, 2008, attack on Anne Pressly at her Little Rock bungalow.

Vance, 29, of Marianna, was also convicted of residential burglary along with rape and theft of property.

After the verdicts were read, Pressly's mother, Patti Cannady, raised a hand and said, "Praise God. Praise God." She burst into sobs.

Once the jurors had left, Vance gestured toward the empty jury box, pointed to his eyes and ears and shook his head.

Pressly, 26, was an anchor at KATV and had a bit part in the President Bush biopic "W." Cannady, unable to reach Pressly by telephone for her daily wake-up call, had found her daughter shortly before she was due for the "Daybreak" program.

In closing arguments, deputy prosecutor John Johnson had recounted graphic testimony that left some in the courtroom in tears. At one point, he held up two photos of Pressly: Her KATV publicity shot, and one from her autopsy showing her nose pushed to one side.

"He made this person look like this," Johnson said. A medical examiner had testified that the front of Pressly's face was broken "like an egg."

In various confessions made to police, Vance said he went to Pressly's neighborhood looking to steal laptop computers. After entering her home through a Dutch door she left open for her dogs, Johnson said, Vance found the computer he sought — and Pressly.

"It was just him and her," Johnson told jurors. "Can you imagine that? Him standing over her?

"She feels that fear; that paralyzing fear we've all had nightmares about," Johnson said.

Citing one of Vance's confessions, Johnson said the man lost control after she started to fight him.

"He began to hit her over and over," Johnson said.

Police witnesses said DNA evidence linked Vance to Pressly's death and to a Marianna rape case in which he has pleaded not guilty. The defense has said police duped Vance into confessing and giving officers a DNA sample to compare with evidence in the case.

[SAMTORRES66]

A man who told police he had been hoping to steal a laptop was convicted of capital murder Wednesday.


I hope his execution is televised.

[2012EOD]

I wonder, if the woman were black and the man white that killed her, would it be classified as a hate crime. And if so, why not now?

[nowhiningallowed]

Another savage evil criminal taken off the streets. He didn't have to slaughter her, but obviously took pleasure in doing so.

[sam-kiley]

bonjour
désolée pour pressly, pauvre jeune femme, mourir d'une façon aussi horrible, qu'elle repose en paix..condoléances a ses parents et familles
quand au monstre qui a fait cela, il a eu la sentence qu'il méritait...justice est faite..au revoir

[bubbadubba]

<<<And thanks to science for using reason and evidence-based discovery to generate DNA-based tests>>>>

And thanks to the Israeli scientists who proved you can fabricate DNA to match anyone you want it to.
Of course in this case there was enough other evidence to convict the murdering rapist.
The point is DNA is not like fingerprints, it can be faked and used to frame someone and DNA evidence can be wrong either way.

[bubbadubba]

Aw if only the defense had been able to convince the jury that the police beat this guy into confessing he did something he did not actually do and get them to ignore evidence.
Why are defense attorneys such lying scum? Why do they get pleasure out of setting killers back on the streets? Why do they put winning a case above justice?
Show me where in the Constitution it says every citizen (or their attorney) has the right to present lies and tricks to not go to jail for a crime they committed. It says every person has the right to a trial to PROVE their guilt or innocence.
Show me please where the Constitution allows lies in the court room.
Defending someone is one thing, using lies and tricks to get a killer off is another.
We all knew the attorney knew his defense was a lie but he presented it anyway.

[Dgunner]

This crime took place about 120 miles from where I live. The police ,FBI and everyone available searched hard for this man for days.Had he not mentioned the crime to another criminal friend. He would have most likely got away with the crime.It saddens everyone when a good person falls or is taken away through criminal act.Arkansas will not execute this man . I will take odds at three to one. to 10,000.oo.Not only is he a hanious criminal he dumber than a unemplyed one eyed crack w---re.

[sonofsummarex]

Boy that was a speedy trial!

Railroad certified I'm sure!

[PaGuy1960]

Loser

[bradkt1]

Was beating her to death worth a laptop computer? Or was it so she couldn't identify him at a later date? Some people have no moral human values of any kind and these are the kind of people that I don't miss when they are either executed or sentenced to life in prison without ever a chance at parole.

If and when people like this are let out of prison at a later date, they would do the same thing again to you or me at the drop of a hat.

That may sound harsh, but that's just the way that I feel. I don't care whether they execute him or lock him up for the rest of his life.

[zhongwei78]

good

[stillunbanable]

very good