Anne Pressly
Posted on 11/12/2009 9:51:30 PM PST by freespirited
A jury sentenced an Arkansas man to life in prison without parole for killing a television anchor, officials said Thursday.
The Pulaski County, Arkansas, jury on Wednesday convicted Curtis Lavelle Vance, 29, of capital murder, residential burglary, rape and theft of property in the October 2008 slaying of Anne Pressly, 26.
Pressly, the morning news anchor for CNN affiliate KATV, was found beaten and unconscious in her home. She died five days later...
Prosecutor Larry Jegley said the jury gave Vance "everything they could give him except the death penalty..."
Among the defense witnesses presented Thursday was Vance's mother, who cried on the stand as she spoke about her battle with crack addiction and admitted abusing her son when he was a child, including an incident when he was 7 years old and she slammed his head into a brick wall, the station said.
A doctor testified earlier Thursday that Vance had told him school was easy for him before that incident, but difficult afterward. Both doctors said they believe Vance has frontal lobe damage to his brain as well as cognitive impairment.
Vance was linked to the killing through DNA, however, and police said at the time of his arrest last year they were "110 percent" sure he was guilty.
He had given several statements to police, including one saying he was at Pressly's home and another admitting to her murder. Defense attorney Steve Morley told CNN affiliate WREG as Vance's trial began earlier this month that such evidence presented an obstacle for the defense, but said he hoped jurors could be persuaded to spare his client's life.
DNA evidence has also tied Vance to a rape in April 2008 in Marianna, Arkansas, about 90 miles east of Little Rock, police said in December.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
How many blacks were on the jury?Disgusting verdict.
How can anyone not drop the death penalty on him. What more was needed?
I wonder if there is a hill near the prison with a clear line of sight to the prison exercise yard. I know if I were a family member, that is what I would be asking myself as I cleaned my high powered rifle.
What a bunch of jerks.
This was a capital case if there ever was one.
The penalty in no way meets the standard of what should happen for such a viscous, violent, rape and murder-by-beating crime.
Lessee - raped, beaten unconscious, died 5 days later vs. a little smack on the head = life in prison w/o parole, 3 squares a day, and a cot ...
Yeah, thats the ticket ...
Sheesh !!!
If this trial had occurred in Texas, it is quite likely that the punishment would have been....different.
It will be interesting to see how long of that sentence he will serve. Methinks some of the Caucasian guests of the state may take umbrage at this “gentleman”, just a guess.
Yeah, I pretty much think death should be reserved for stranger murder when their is no doubt. Hard to know what sway the jury from death in this case.
Dont know but will try to find out.
Found conflicting info on the jury. First article says jury was six males, six females. Another article from the jury selection phase said seven white males, four black females, with one more to be picked.
A travesty of justice, whoever the jurors were.
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