| Anne Pressly | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 28, 1982 Beaufort, South Carolina, United States[1] |
| Died | October 25, 2008 (aged 26)[2] Little Rock, Arkansas, United States |
| Education | Rhodes College- Bachelor's degree in Political Science |
| Occupation | News Anchor, Actress |
| Family | Patti Cannady (mother) Brantley Phillips Pressly (father) |
| Notable credit(s) | KATV Reporter[3] |
Anne Pressly (August 28, 1982 – October 25, 2008) 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.
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After earning her B.A. in Political Science from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, Pressly was hired at KATV in May 2004 to produce Good Morning Arkansas[4] and report for MidDay Arkansas and Saturday Daybreak. She was promoted to a full-time reporter position in November, 2004.[5]
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.[6]
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 beating.[7] She had been raped, 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.[8]
Little Rock Police Department spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said police did not believe that she was intentionally targeted, but robbery was the suspected motive after her purse was discovered missing.[7] Her credit card was used at a service station several miles away, sometime after Cannady had discovered her daughter.[9][10]
Pressly owned two cocker spaniels, Daisy and Clementine,[3] and it was theorized the attacker gained entrance to her home via a dog door.
She was hospitalized at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and died five days later on October 25, 2008.[11][12]
On the evening of her death, Pressly's mother and stepfather released a statement:
We are profoundly saddened to tell you that our dear Anne has lost her struggle for life. It was our hope, as was yours, that Anne would overcome the injuries inflicted upon her in the brutal attack at her home. We were with her in her last moments, and although our hearts are broken, we are at the same time comforted by our faith knowing that Anne is now with our Heavenly Father. The outpouring of compassion we have received is truly a testament to the way in which Anne has touched so many people in a positive way. Thank you for your prayers and your many acts of kindness. We are grateful for the wonderful care Anne received from her doctors, nurses and others at St. Vincent. Our lives will not be the same without her. We ask that you continue to pray for us as we struggle to move forward without our dear sweet daughter. We also ask that you give us the privacy we need at this very difficult time.
A memorial service for Pressly was scheduled for October 30, 2008.[13] KATV set up a reward fund for information on Pressly's murder and the fund that exceeded $50,000.[13] Her family requested that either contributions be made to the fund or a scholarship fund established in her name.[13]
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.[14]
On November 26, 2008, police in Little Rock, Arkansas, 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.[15] The following day, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.[16] The Arkansas Supreme Court rejected Vance's appeal on June 2, 2011.[17]