Motive unknown in anchorwoman attack

Little Rock’s Anne Pressly is in critical condition: ‘Does not have an enemy’

TODAY staff and wire

updated 5:44 a.m. PT, Thurs., Oct. 23, 2008

Popular and beautiful Anne Pressly, an up-and-coming Little Rock, Ark., news anchor, had dinner with a friend, talked about her small role in the movie “W.” and went home, where she exchanged cheery text messages. And then she was beaten nearly to death.

While the 26-year-old Pressly remains in critical but stable condition in a Little Rock hospital, her family, many friends and police are all trying to discover who would have attacked a person who is said to have had no enemies, and why.

“If there’s one person that does not have an enemy, it is Anne Pressly,” Mallory Hardin told TODAY’s Matt Lauer from Little Rock Tuesday, a day after the attack. “She’s wonderful to everybody. She’s the most loving girl that anyone could ever meet; [she] is so kind to every stranger. She goes out of her way to help other people.”

http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Video/081021/tdy_lauer_anchorwoman_081021.300w.jpg
Oct. 21: Anne Pressly, a popular TV anchor in Arkansas, is in critical condition after being found beaten in her home. Police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis and Pressly’s friend Mallory Hardin discuss the crime.


Random break-in?
Hardin is a reporter for NBC affiliate KARK in Little Rock and a close friend of Pressly’s, who recently became the morning news anchor at ABC’s Little Rock affiliate, KATV.

Little Rock Police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis, who also talked via satellite with Lauer, said that police are looking into whether Pressly may have been attacked because of her celebrity. They are also considering the possibility that she was a victim of a random break-in. Pressly’s purse and some personal belongings were missing from her home, Davis said, although there was no sign of forced entry into her home.

The attack occurred sometime between 10:30 Sunday night, after Pressly exchanged text messages with her friend, Hardin, and 4:30 Monday morning, when her mother, Patricia Cannady, discovered her bloody and unconscious in her bed. Cannady was in the habit of giving her daughter a wake-up call every morning before Pressly went to work at KATV’s “Daybreak” show. When Pressly didn’t answer her phone, her mother went to her house.

Because of all the blood, police initially thought Pressly had been stabbed, but KATV, citing police sources, reported that she had suffered blunt trauma injuries to her head and body.

“This is surreal that this could happen to her,” Hardin told Lauer.

‘A shock to everybody’
Hardin said that she had seen her friend Sunday evening.

“We had a great dinner. She was happy, bubbly as always, everything was wonderful,” Hardin recalled. “After we went to dinner, I went with some people to see her movie, ‘W.,’ to see her role, and she wanted me to text her and let her know how she did. And of course, she did incredible. And I texted her to let her know.

“She texted back about 9:30 that she was so happy we thought she did good … a bubbly, wonderful text like she always sent.”

Although Davis said that police are investigating the possibility that Pressly was attacked by a stalker, Hardin said her friend never talked about any unwelcome attention from fans or viewers.

“She’s never said anything to me about any type of stalker,” Hardin said. “This is just a shock to everybody.”

“We do not have any police reports in our department in reference to any stalking,” Davis added. “We are talking to co-workers and family and friends and trying to determine if there was anybody that had an unusual interest in Miss Pressly.”

‘So much sorrow’
After talking to Lauer, Davis expanded on her statement to local reporters, saying, “[It] is possible that it is something other than robbery. Our detectives are talking with co-workers because she was a public figure, because she was on the news, in the media.”

In a message posted on the KATV Web site, Dale Nicholson, the station’s president and general manager, said that Pressly “is a person who simply lights up the room, by just walking in … I know her viewers will join her family as well as the KATV family in praying for a speedy recovery for Anne, who means so much to all of our staff.”

Hardin, who fought to keep her emotions in check during the interview, talked with Lauer about trying to cope with what happened to her friend.

“It’s so hard for everybody right now; so hard for her family, so hard for her friends,” Hardin said. “She’s touched so many in this community, so we’ve all been grieving. Doctors have hope at this point, but they say at this point she’s still in critical condition and it’s going to be a very long road to recovery. There’s so much grieving, so much sorrow in this town for a girl who is so loved.”

— Mike Celizic, with reporting from the Associated Press.



© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

I pray she makes a full recovery and that they find the monster who did this. :(

What a terrible thing to have happened to her.

How awful. To be beaten like that, I can't even imagine. I can't even watch people get beaten in movies. She had to suffer unimaginable horror. I pray she pulls through and they catch the monster who did this to her.

I feel bad for Anne. I hope they find the person who harmed her. The police are looking at it as a stalking case.

Link (http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=109382.54928.121523)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ An Arkansas television anchorwoman found beaten at her home earlier this week has died from her injuries.

Hospital officials say Anne Pressly, 26, died Saturday at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center. Hospital spokeswoman Margaret Preston says family members declined to release any other details about Pressly's death.

Pressly was beaten around the head, face and neck during the attack. She had been unable to communicate with her family or police, while being kept sedated in the intensive care unit.

Pressly was discovered Monday morning a half-hour before she was to appear on ABC affiliate KATV's "Daybreak" program. Her mother went to the woman's home after she didn't answer her regular wake-up call.

Police have yet to identify a suspect in the attack.

That is so sad. She was young, beautiful, full of life and love. It just proves my point that no matter what, no matter how optimistic I feel generally toward members of the human race, people are cruel. People will act out the worst violence toward people least deserving of it. The beautiful, the kind, the loving, those full of joy and having positive prospects in life. And there are those scumbags of society who get away with it. To kill again. No remorse.

I hope they find the person who did this and fry him to a crisp. I would like to see his face when he realizes what he's done as they flick the switch. No mercy to him as he showed no mercy to her. NONE.

Why does God let this happen? Why do the beautiful and the kind suffer and die horribly from the hands of others? Where is God's justice??

WHERE????


:crying:

I just read about Anne's death. This is tragic. May she rest in peace. Now we need to pray for justice and the safety of people like her who are in the public eye through journalism. Anne's story reminds of Jodie Huisentruit case. Jodie was anchorwoman in Mason City, Iowa who disappeared in 1995.
http://www.findjodi.com/

That is so awful. RIP Anne

I felt so sad when I heard she died. Dear God, what a way to die. Sounds personal to me, but I'm no expert. I just hope they catch the animal who did this.

Absolutely terrible and so sad! People who do things like this should be put away for life-or worse!

Andrea

That is so sad. She was young, beautiful, full of life and love. It just proves my point that no matter what, no matter how optimistic I feel generally toward members of the human race, people are cruel. People will act out the worst violence toward people least deserving of it. The beautiful, the kind, the loving, those full of joy and having positive prospects in life. And there are those scumbags of society who get away with it. To kill again. No remorse.

I hope they find the person who did this and fry him to a crisp. I would like to see his face when he realizes what he's done as they flick the switch. No mercy to him as he showed no mercy to her. NONE.

Why does God let this happen? Why do the beautiful and the kind suffer and die horribly from the hands of others? Where is God's justice??

WHERE????


:crying:

I know it may be tempting to want to blame god, but that is not the answer-
sometimes there is just evil in this world and there always will be. One thing
that helps me get through things like this everyday is my faith in god as a
christian.

I feel a lot better knowing she's in a better place. Much better than this piece of dump world. Being at peace in heaven instead of going through life petrified of everyone around her.

my gosh. how horrible. i was hoping she'd recover, but she was beaten so badly. who would want to kill her? she was so beautiful, young and full of life. it's so tragic and not fair. i hope they find whoever's responsible for this and punish them to the fullest extent of the law.

Link (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6134848.html)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Police were searching Wednesday for a man charged with capital murder in the October beating death of Little Rock television anchor Anne Pressly.

Police Chief Stuart Thomas said at a news conference that the charge against Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, of Marianna, was "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work," but he declined to elaborate.

Vance left his home Wednesday afternoon accompanied by a 25-year-old woman and three children under the age of five, police said. He frequently visited the Little Rock area, about 90 miles west of Marianna, and has a lot of contacts there, Thomas said.

"He knows we're looking for him," said Lt. Terry Hastings, police spokesman.

Police said Vance was thought to be driving a black 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora with 22-inch rims and temporary license plates. They also said they believed he was armed with a 9 mm pistol.

Pressley's mother found her Oct. 20, a half-hour before she was due on KATV's 5 a.m. "Daybreak" program. Pressly's head and upper body had been beaten. She never regained consciousness and died five days later.

Link (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6134848.html)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Police were searching Wednesday for a man charged with capital murder in the October beating death of Little Rock television anchor Anne Pressly.

Police Chief Stuart Thomas said at a news conference that the charge against Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, of Marianna, was "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work," but he declined to elaborate.

Vance left his home Wednesday afternoon accompanied by a 25-year-old woman and three children under the age of five, police said. He frequently visited the Little Rock area, about 90 miles west of Marianna, and has a lot of contacts there, Thomas said.

"He knows we're looking for him," said Lt. Terry Hastings, police spokesman.

Police said Vance was thought to be driving a black 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora with 22-inch rims and temporary license plates. They also said they believed he was armed with a 9 mm pistol.

Pressley's mother found her Oct. 20, a half-hour before she was due on KATV's 5 a.m. "Daybreak" program. Pressly's head and upper body had been beaten. She never regained consciousness and died five days later.

Thanks for the update. I hope the police can find out more about what happened to Anne.

Thanks for the update. I hope the police can find out more about what happened to Anne.

You're welcome and he's been arrested.


Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081127/ap_on_re_us/tv_anchor_attacked)


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Police on Wednesday arrested a man on a capital murder charge in the beating death of a popular television anchorwoman but offered neither a motive behind the attack nor details about why they suspected him.

Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, fled his Marianna home Wednesday with a 25-year-old woman and three children under age 5, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. Detective Mat Nelson said late Wednesday that Vance had been arrested but he had no details.

Police spokesman Lt. Terry Hastings said Vance knew officers had been seeking him. Thomas said before the arrest that Vance was believed to be armed with a 9mm pistol and "a lot of extra ammunition."

Anne Pressly, 26, died Oct. 25, five days after being severely beaten in the head and upper torso in her home. The anchorwoman's mother found her a half-hour before she was due on KATV's "Daybreak" program, after she didn't answer her daily wake-up call. She never regained consciousness.

Thomas said at a late-evening news conference that the capital murder charge against Vance was based on "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work." He offered no details, however.

Hastings had said previously that DNA and other evidence from the scene gave police a portrait of the suspect, 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.

Pressly lived alone in the city's Pulaski Heights section, a mix of mansions and bungalows near the Little Rock Country Club. Her mother was visiting from out of town at the time of the attack but not staying at her daughter's home.

In the police station lobby before the news conference, several of Pressly's KATV colleagues quietly wiped tears from their faces. The station raised $50,000 for a reward fund.

Thomas said Vance frequently visited the Little Rock area, about 90 miles west of Marianna, and has a lot of contacts there.

Pressly was a native of Greenville, S.C., and moved with her family to Little Rock while she was in high school. She was a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., which has discussed establishing a scholarship to honor her.

In the Oliver Stone movie "W" — the subject of a news story she covered as the film was being shot in Shreveport, La. — Pressly appeared briefly as a conservative commentator who speaks favorably of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" event on an aircraft carrier after the start of the Iraq War.