Murder of Anne Pressly
Encyclopedia
Anne Pressly was an American
news anchor
for KATV
Channel 7 in Little Rock, Arkansas
. She was born in 1982 in Beaufort, South Carolina
and grew up in Greenville
. She moved to Little Rock during her high school senior year when her mother remarried. On October 25, 2008, she died from injuries resulting from a home invasion
on October 20, 2008.
in Political Science
from Rhodes College
in Memphis, Tennessee
, Pressly was hired at KATV in May 2004 to produce Good Morning Arkansas and report for MidDay Arkansas and Saturday Daybreak. She was promoted to a full-time reporter position in November, 2004.
A chance encounter with a casting director while working on a story helped her land a small role as "Candice Black," a conservative commentator, in Oliver Stone
's 2008 film W.
. She had been rape
d, her left hand had been broken, and her face had been crushed beyond recognition. The attacker took her laptop computer, her purse with a credit card, and little else.
was the suspected motive after her purse was discovered missing. Her credit card was used at a service station several miles away, sometime after Cannady had discovered her daughter.
Pressly owned two cocker spaniels, Daisy and Clementine, and it was theorized the attacker gained entrance to her home via a dog door.
On the evening of her death, Pressly's mother and stepfather released a statement:
A memorial service for Pressly was scheduled for October 30, 2008. KATV set up a reward fund for information on Pressly's murder and the fund that exceeded $50,000. Her family requested that either contributions be made to the fund or a scholarship fund established in her name.
Pressly's alma mater, Rhodes College
, expressed a desire to honor her by either establishing a memorial, setting up a scholarship, or supporting her favorite charity.
, named Curtis Lavelle Vance in the murder of Anne Pressly. Approximately an hour later, Vance was arrested. On November 11, 2009, Vance was convicted of capital murder, residential burglary, rape and theft of property. The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Arkansas Supreme Court
rejected Vance's appeal on June 2, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
for KATV
KATV
KATV, channel 7, is an ABC affiliated television station serving the Little Rock television market and central Arkansas. The station is owned by Allbritton Communications Company....
Channel 7 in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. She was born in 1982 in Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
and grew up in Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. She moved to Little Rock during her high school senior year when her mother remarried. On October 25, 2008, she died from injuries resulting from a home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
on October 20, 2008.
Biography
After earning her B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Rhodes College
Rhodes College
Rhodes College is a private, predominantly undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Originally founded by freemasons in 1848, Rhodes became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1855. Rhodes enrolls approximately 1,700 students pursuing bachelor's and master's...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Pressly was hired at KATV in May 2004 to produce Good Morning Arkansas and report for MidDay Arkansas and Saturday Daybreak. She was promoted to a full-time reporter position in November, 2004.
A chance encounter with a casting director while working on a story helped her land a small role as "Candice Black," a conservative commentator, in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's 2008 film W.
W. (film)
W. is a 2008 American film based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. It was produced and directed by Oliver Stone, written by Stanley Weiser, and stars Josh Brolin as Bush, with a cast that includes Ellen Burstyn, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Scott...
Attack and death
Anne Pressly was found at 4:30 a.m. on October 20, 2008, a half-hour before she was due to appear on the station's Daybreak program. Little Rock police were alerted by her mother, Patricia Cannady, when Pressly did not answer her wake-up call. Cannady found Pressly unresponsive in her bed with injuries sustained to her head and upper body consistent with a beatingBattery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
. She had been rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, her left hand had been broken, and her face had been crushed beyond recognition. The attacker took her laptop computer, her purse with a credit card, and little else.
Robbery
Little Rock Police Department spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said police did not believe that she was intentionally targeted, but robberyRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
was the suspected motive after her purse was discovered missing. Her credit card was used at a service station several miles away, sometime after Cannady had discovered her daughter.
Pressly owned two cocker spaniels, Daisy and Clementine, and it was theorized the attacker gained entrance to her home via a dog door.
Hospitalization and death
She was hospitalized at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and died five days later on October 25, 2008.On the evening of her death, Pressly's mother and stepfather released a statement:
Memorial service and reward
Pressly's alma mater, Rhodes College
Rhodes College
Rhodes College is a private, predominantly undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Originally founded by freemasons in 1848, Rhodes became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1855. Rhodes enrolls approximately 1,700 students pursuing bachelor's and master's...
, expressed a desire to honor her by either establishing a memorial, setting up a scholarship, or supporting her favorite charity.
Perpetrator
On November 26, 2008, police in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, named Curtis Lavelle Vance in the murder of Anne Pressly. Approximately an hour later, Vance was arrested. On November 11, 2009, Vance was convicted of capital murder, residential burglary, rape and theft of property. The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The Arkansas Supreme Court
Arkansas Supreme Court
The Arkansas Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Since 1925, it has consisted of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice...
rejected Vance's appeal on June 2, 2011.