Arkansas Reporter Anne Pressly’s Killer Receives Life without Parole

Advertisement:

With as story so shocking, so inconceivably violent, Arkansas’ KATV Channel 7 News reporter, Anne Pressly, 26, made national news when found bloody and beaten beyond recognition in her Hillcrest home in Little Rock, AR. Pressly was well-received in the state with her morning broadcasts on “Good Morning Arkansas” and loved by many, both those who knew her as a daughter, friend and colleague, and Arkansans who knew her only from her broadcasts.
The violent rape and beating she met at the hands of her attacker were so debase, it has been hard for those who knew and loved her to make sense of it. Anne had traveled to Louisiana to cover the making of Oliver Stone’s “W” film, and ended up landing a small role in the movie. October 20th, 2008, after a party for the film, a half hour before she was to be at the news station to film the morning broadcast, Anne’s mother found Anne in her bed wearing only a bloody tee-shirt. She had driven over to her house when Anne had not answered her daily 4 a.m. wake-up call. What Anne’s mother, Patty Canady, found was far beyond the scope of what any parent should ever see. Anne had been raped and beaten so severely that every bone is her face was broken, she had lacerations to her head, and part of her jaw bone was protruding from her skin; the beautiful Anne was nearly unrecognizable. Anne was rushed to St. Vincent’s hospital, but never regained consciousness. Anne Pressly died five days later due to traumatic head injuries; officials now say the weapon was likely a blunt, wooden object.
With a DNA connection to Curtis Lavelle Vance through a hair found at the crime scene, Mr. Vance was found guilty of the rape, capital murder, and burglary of Anne Pressly; he was also linked to a rape of a Marianna, AR school teacher by that DNA evidence. Thursday evening, a jury of twelve handed down the verdict of Life imprisonment with no chance of parole, plus the maximum fines. This news was met with mixed review, as many thought he deserved the death penalty. It was justice for the family, but nothing can bring Anne back to her loved ones, and certainly Mr. Vance will begin the appeals process within a week or two. Anne was a special person who met a death unsuitable for even the worst criminal. May she rest in peace, and may the loved ones of Anne Pressly find comfort and healing amid their enormous grief.