Law Enforcement in Little Rock, Arkansas has charged 28-year-old Curtis Lavelle Vance with murder in the beating death of TV anchorwoman Anne Pressly.
News of Anne’s murder was all over the press, TV and Internet in the days following her murder and now, a month later, the police say they know who they are looking for. Anne died on October 25th, five days after being severely beaten in her home. She was found on October 20th by her mother who went to check on her after she didn’t answer her daily wake-up call.
Police are positive that they are looking for the right man and base it on a very solid case but as of right now they aren’t offering any details or motive. One of her credit cards was used at a gas station after the beating but the security cameras didn’t give a particularly good look at the person who used it.
Curtis Vance has fled his home in Little Rock along with a 25-year-old woman and three children under the age of five, is believed to be driving a black 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora with 22-inch rims and temporary license plates. He is also considered to be armed, as police think he may have a 9mm pistol.
Update – Within an hour or so from the initial press conference that police held Curtis Vance was arrested and questioned. He is currently being held at the Pulaski County jail and should have an arraignment this morning, Friday. Police aren’t saying much other than the fact that it was DNA that led them to Vance.
Update III – According to interviews with Guy and Patty Cannady, the parents of Anne Pressly, Anne was beaten so badly that her jaw was pulverized and her entire skull had numerous fractures which caused a stroke and eventually killed her.
Prosecutors are still not saying whether they are going to seek the death penalty or not.
Update IV 9/29/09 – Attorneys for Vance have filed motions to have everything he said to investigators thrown out as they are claiming that law enforcement lied to him after he was identified as a suspect in the murder last October.
The trial itself is supposed to begin in November and the judge gave prosecutors permission to have DNA testing done of evidence from the murder.
Updated 9-24-2022 – On November 11, 2009, Vance was convicted of capital murder, residential burglary, rape and theft of property.
According to Wikipedia Vance was also charged with the rape of Kristen Edwards on April 21, 2008 at her home in Marianna, Arkansas. Before he fled, the rapist stole her cell phone and charger, a video and $3 – all the cash she had with her at the time. Vance was subjected to a swab test for his DNA and all 16 genetic markers the test compared matched the DNA recovered from the semen in Edwards’s rape. During the trial, Vance admitted under questioning that he had been inside Edwards’s home on the morning of the rape, although he claimed that it was because “there were mobs roaming the streets in Little Rock” that morning and he was afraid. Despite his admission of being in the victim’s home, her being brutally raped that morning, and the statistically negligible chance of his DNA matching anyone else’s, the jury was hung, resulting in a mistrial.
why hasn’t Vance been charged with rape? I have a source from the LRPD who tells me semen was all over the place, enough that it pointed to more than one perp. why cover that kind of thing up?
there are many rumors flying around. what I can’t understand is why would a man with no criminal history commit such a violent crime. I heard that Anne was involved with a very rich well known black man and became pregnant and this guy may have been hired to harm her but not kill her. regardless I think this guy was hired because Marianna is 90 miles away….it does not make sense.
I wish I knew. The Little Rock PD are being so quiet about the case in the media other than saying he was a DNA match. He’s supposed to be arraigned this morning so it is entirely possible that hr’ll be facing more charges than murder by that time.
I have been following this story, and I sure hope he is the one. Evidence seems pretty right on. We should know before long
This story of apprehension received few lines in the StarTribune. Minneapolis, MN) Here is their coverage. They appear to have a mission to keep information from readers;
Star Tribune coverage page A21 11-28-08
ARKANSAS
Arrest made in TV anchor’s beating death
Little Rock Police arrested a suspect in the beating death of a popular television anchorwoman. Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, of Marianna, Ark., was charged with capital murder in the death of Anne Pressly, 26, who had a small part in the President Bush biopic “W.” She died Oct. 25-five days after what police describe as a random attack at her home.
THIS IS ALL THE COVERAGE GIVEN THE CASE BY THE STARTRIBUNE. THEN NEXT DAY THERE WAS ANOTHER SMALL STORY ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS THIS ONE.
Hey Richard. I guess I’ve been out of the loop for a lot longer than I thought. I didn’t realize you had turned this into a crime blog. I like it.
Meanwhile, I’m just finally cruising through my long neglected blogroll to be the first to wish you and yours and happy holiday season. So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that stuff…
I say Curtis Lavelle Vance simply should be executed. He is a human leech; therefore should be treated as a parasite – Destroyed.
I’ve heard rumors that boxer Jermain Taylor is involved. Rumors so far. But the cops have been so tight-lipped about the rape and that’s a fact… so…..
I’ve been getting lots of searches for stuff like “Anne Pressly Pregnant” and “Anne Pressly Rumors” bringing folks here. Not that Google searches bringing people here is uncommon but the wording is different. It may be because the police are being tight-lipped as you say or they very well may be looking at other suspects as well. Just don’t know right now.
Rumor has in LR that she was having an affair with Jermain Taylor and pregnant with his baby. This to me tells me this gives him reason to be involved in this in some way. He doesn’t want to tarnish his “Bad Intentions” image. Well, maybe he needs to keep it in his pants since it is common knowledge around town that he sticks it in everything that bends over.
That is why I don’t understand that Curtis could do such a vicious crime with no major criminal history. One doesn’t beat a helpless female so badly that her jaw is removed from her face because she wouldn’t give up her purse.
I personally think that she was pregnant with Jermain’s baby and refused an abortion. No forced entry. She let him in and Curtis followed. He didn’t want to damage his “perfect” marriage or image or that “I’m the next best thing to boxing” career that never happened.
I BELIEVE HE DIDNT DO THIS CRIME ALONE
Erich…you a leech, how can they charge him if they don’t have all the facts??? Well I guess you see it as another young black male so he should be executed. Anyone can respond to this comment @ frankiec_jr@yahoo.com…feel free!!!
Vance had committed another serious crime he raped another woman! She didn’t fight back and did what she was told. It has been proven that Presley fought back so Vance was probably infuriated by that. The other lady is most likely here today because she did what he told her to do. Vance is a criminal. Did anyone ever think he might of knocked on her door and she opened it and he barged in on her? She was at a party earlier that night he could have saw her leaving and decided to follow since she was a beautiful lady. Everyone jumps on one thing such as this Jermaine Taylor “rumor” I’m not saying it isn’t true but at least look at other possibilities rather than just going with the rumor and thinking this is what happened nothing else could of possibly been right. Think use your minds don’t just gossip and spread rumors.
So this was a hit? The guy rapes and brutally beats her (leaving DNA all over the place in the process) then stelas her purse and uses her credit card at a gas station? Some ******* hit! If this is true, Taylor needs to be killed just for being stupid. What about his wife? Did she know about this alleged affair?
kill all worthless n***! thats what the are! ive been attacked 2v1 by them and they stole my scooter fucking cowards!…im new to little rock and i can tell you all the other towns where there are nothing but white folks , this has never happened…these n*** will barge into your house..hit you from behind and steal your property…kill them all! im so tired of stupid n***..and by the way i played guitar on jermaine taylors fight song…when u see him going in the ring on showtime..thats me playing guitar! so i am in no way racist, just tired of n***!!!
Oh yeah, by the way…I am a racist douchebag and my douchebag hating Myspace url is http://www.myspace.com/lexcalibur
You need to shut up and get the facts before you run your mouth about somebody. Jermain Taylor didn’t do it you idiot, that is some stupid rumor. Get the facts before you open your trap and get innocent people hurt, everyone should just mind their own business. And I think (notice I said ‘I think”) it was personal because you don’t beat someone to death like that unless your really mad unless she was screaming and the idiot wanted her to shut up but it sounds personal to me.
Leave it to a racist to say he is not a racist after using derogatory racial words. He makes it seem like whites do not commit crimes. I ‘m sure if he had the chance he would murder a black person. By the way, I can tell the hate by the tone and usage of your words. I bet the next thing you will say is you have black friends.
That’s usually the way it goes.
I am surprised I even left that comment there, I am usually pretty good about deleting or at the very least editing comments of trolls like Alex Seward. I don’t min a good fight but once they start using derogatory remarks like that I ban their IP and edit the comments.
Thanks for at bringing my attention to it.
Taken care of. Give him a visit.
your damn right im biased towards people who try to murder me!!! i now have a nice m and p 40 calibur that i carry LEGALLY because i am not a CRIMINAL… so just just try coming at me….. come pay me a visit…i am waiting joyfully for you….GET SOME MOTHERFUCKERS!!! …i hope you meet some of those people i am talking about…next time i do it will be their last!…pay me a visit cocksucker, i am waiting ..and definitely not afraid…I DARE YOU TO SEE WHAT YOU GET….i have no problem with law abiding black folks, i just hate niggers, there is a world of difference you douchebag fucktard…reall come fuck with me..i would do the same to you if you try to take my life…so get it straight…we are all humans…but niggers (not black folks, again,for you retarded people) dont deserve to walk the streets as us decent people who leave one another the fuck alone! is that clear??..now misunderstand me and come fuck with me, im definitely ready….oh and it says our e-mails wont be published you fucking lying prick…think ill report you
So I’ve removed your email, but you need to understand that I have kept a copy of your original comment from earlier this spring. YOU are the one who left your email address in the body of the comment. Maybe it was inadvertent and a mistake or maybe it wasn’t and you just got upset when I responded and posted your myspace url, which will remain. Either way I’ve taken it out, if anyone really needs it email addresses are not that difficult to find on the net.
I HOPE THE GUY GETS A DEATH PENALTY. HOWEVER,IF YOU MAJOR IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE YOU WILL SEE THAT PARTIAL JUSTICE HAPPENS. A GORGEOUS BLOND HAIR AND BLUE EYED FEMALE GETS SEVERAL HOURS OF MEDIA TIME (ALWAYS PORTRAYED AS THE VICTIM) I.E. READ THE BOOK “SAVE OUR WHITE WOMEN.”
WHERE AS IF THIS WAS A BLACK WOMEN, WE CAN LOOK AT OUR WATCH AND KNOW IT WON’T LAST MORE THAN 5 MINUTES. BEFORE YOU SHOW HATRED..THINK ABOUT BLACK WOMEN THAT WAS BRUTALLY RAPED AND MURDERED BUT DID NOT RECEIVE MEDIA EXPOSURE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED VALUABLE. I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE AND I JUST JUDGE ACCORDINGLY.
I am also hoping he gets death as well.
You bring up a pretty good point about the media that’s very valid. There are a few murders of black women that have received lots of media treatment but not very many when you take them all into consideration unfortunately. Sex sells and even most of the online newspapers are beset with this affliction. My initial leads for posts usually come from one of several news sites and I can see it even there. The same goes for other ‘minorities’ as well. Look at missing children stories you see on TV. How many of them are Hispanic or American Indian, for example? Not very many at all.