Chris's Crime Forum

Man Accused of Killing TV News Anchor Goes On Trial Monday

LITTLE ROCK, AR (AP) - Popular television personality Anne Pressly never regained consciousness after she was found in her bed, brutally beaten by an intruder. Now, prosecutors hope DNA evidence will do the talking for her.

Curtis Lavelle Vance's trial on capital murder, rape and burglary charges is to begin Monday, November 2, 2009, in Little Rock. Prosecutors say they plan to use DNA collected at Pressly's home as well as taped confessions from Vance.

Defense lawyers claimed police coerced Vance into giving up a DNA sample in an interview before his arrest. While on the stand for a pretrial hearing, Vance claimed "police trickery" confused him into giving up the samples and the confessions.






http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/lo ... f47_Q.cspx

Today is the day!
I'm sitting here during the early morning hours (never mind what time it says it is up there) looking forward to hearing how the trial goes.

Doreen, I suppose you are too!

awww. Bill you have that right!

UNBELIEVABLE!!
At 5:PM (Eastern Time) I turned on my TV and NOTHING on the trial today. At 6:30 I gave up on the TV and turned on the computer. I thought there would be something on the first page, but NO, not the second, third, or fourth one either!

FINALLY I found something...
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Trial Starts For Man Accused Of Arkansas Anchor Murder

Dennis Turner
2:08 PM CST, November 2, 2009

FAST FACTS:
Pressly Killed in October 2008
Vance Arrested After DNA Connects Him to Case
Security Tight as Trial Begins

Dennis.turner@wreg.com

( Little Rock, AR 11/02/2009) Trial is underway today in the sensational beating and murder of a Little Rock TV anchorwoman.

Anne Pressly was killed just a little over one year ago, and a Marianna man was arrested in the case.

Jury selection is going on in the death penalty trial of Curtis Vance.

Division two of Pulaski County Circuit Court is filled with prospective jurors as the murder case against 29 year old Curtis Vance gets underway.

It's the first death penalty case tried here in 5 years and security is much tighter than normal in an Arkansas Courtroom, even for a death-penalty case. Neither cameras, nor any other type of recording devices are allowed in the courtroom, and doors are locked once court begins, only to be unlocked during breaks.

Laptop computers aren't even allowed in the courtroom.

Judge Chris Piazza has called between 100 and 160 potential jurors for the case. That's about twice the normal number.

These people will face questioning, 5 at a time, from prosecutors and defense attorneys about their view of the death penalty and how much they know about this case already.

Judge Piazza has bowed to the intense media coverage of this case in only one way. That is, that jurors don't have to be totally uninformed about the beating and murder of Little Rock TV anchor Anne Pressly, and Vance's arrest. They just need to be able to take an unbiased look at the case and consider the evidence impartially.

Jury selection is set to last at least a couple of days, with testimony expected to start possibly on Wednesday.

http://www.wreg.com/news/annepressly/wr ... 5162.story
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PS - It's still Monday Nov 2, 2009 at this writing.
Don't believe what it says up there. Hey, I'm in Eastern USA, North America, Planet Earth.

Two jurors seated in case of murdered Greenville native

Curtis Vance's trial in the murder of Greenville, S.C., native Anne Pressly began today in Arkansas.


Jury selection is under way in Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza's courtroom in Little Rock and is expected to last three days. However, as of 5:15 p.m., only two jurors have been seated.
Of the 125 prospective jurors summoned for a capital murder trial, only one told a judge that she not heard of the grisly death of Pressly, a KATV anchorwoman in Little Rock who attended Greenville High School. Get the latest updates on the Curtis Vance murder trial and background on Anne Pressly’s death from our sister media outlet KTHV in Little Rock, Ark.

Witnesses expected to testify and potential jurors were asked to identify any connections to them. Casual acquaintances were allowed to stay in the pool, but those with close ties were excused. Judge Piazza excused a number of prospective jurors who had business or personal conflicts, including one woman who said she's a distant cousin of Vance. Five people expressed concern over the death penalty and were excused.

Of the 108 potential jurors left, they sent half of the group home until Tuesday as they continue interviewing the remaining group. They bring in a potential juror and interview him or her, and then bring in another person to interview until they reach a group of six. Once the group of six is reached, they continue the interview before they are dismissed and the process starts over. So, this is why the process has been so time consuming.

The potential jurors have been asked one by one how much media coverage they have read or watched on Pressly's death. In a group of six, they are asked their opinion about the death penalty, if they have an opinion about the Heights/Hillcrest neighborhood Pressly lived, and if they've already drawn conclusions about this case. Of course, they are also asked several other questions by both the defense and the prosecution.
Vance's lawyer Katherine Streett has indicated that she plans to challenge DNA evidence and recorded confessions her client gave police. She questioned prospective jurors on Monday, and asked how they would react to evidence being challenged.


Pressly was found beaten in her Little Rock home in October 2008. She never regained consciousness, but prosecutors say they hope DNA evidence can do the talking for her.

Vance is charged with capital murder, rape and burglary. Prosecutors say they plan to use DNA collected at Pressly's home as well as taped confessions from Vance.


Defense lawyers claimed police coerced Vance into giving up a DNA sample in an interview before his arrest. While on the stand for a pretrial hearing, Vance claimed "police trickery" confused him into giving up the samples and the confessions. They also had repeatedly asked for delays in two cases against Vance.


Vance is from Marianna, about 100 miles east of Little Rock.


He has pleaded not guilty. He could face the death penalty if convicted. Piazza said the murder trial could last two weeks

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article ... lle-native

It seems the first day of the trial focused only on jury selection. This is not the most exciting news, so I suppose that is why it did not get the media attention I expected. (Maybe in Arkansas it did.)

I am not at all surprised that almost all of the potential jurors have heard of this case. The judge decided that jurors "don't have to be totally uninformed," which makes sense. Reading the questions asked of the potential jurors, I'm sure I would not be selected if I were among them. (I believe he's guilty and we should hang him.)

They started out with 125 prospective jurors summoned for the trial. Is that a record?

The judge says the trial could last two weeks. I hope it doesn't take any longer than that.

I still want to know what Vance was doing in a neighborhood that far away from where he lived, and what kind of garden tool it was that he used to do the dirty deed.

Day 2 Of Curtis Vance Murder Trial In Anne Pressly's Death

Okay now 11 have been seated!

So far, 11 jurors have been seated, seven men and four women. Judge Chris Piazza says the 12th juror and the two alternates will be chosen Wednesday. He also hopes to begin opening statements Wednesday because witnesses are flying in to testify so he wants to keep the trial on schedule.

The courtroom has been packed with reporters jotting down notes as the potential jurors are being interviewed. People are brought in and interviewed one at a time, and asked about what media coverage they have watched. The process continues until a group of six is formed, then the group is interviewed as a whole.

Jury selection was slow-going Tuesday. Attorneys had only interviewed one group Tuesday by 1:45 p.m. and they settled on a group of five. This after two people said they couldn't think of any circumstance to uphold the death penalty. One man said he couldn't presume Vance innocent until proven guilty. All five were dismissed and court recessed until 2:30 p.m. By 4:30, three more jurors were selected, bringing the total to 11. Eight were chosen Monday.

One potential juror, Bill Spradlin, was sent home by Judge Piazza after he expressed that he didn't have the energy to sit through a trial that's expected to last two weeks.

"They didn't ask me any questions, they just figured I'm 91 and it would be too much for me and I just told them, sometimes I feel every bit of those 91 years," Spradlin told Today's THV.

Meanwhile, the one woman who said Monday that she knew nothing about Pressly's death, said Tuesday she recalled that her son received a text message about her death and that Pressly had interviewed her son one time. She remained in court as jury selection continued.

A woman also walked into the courtroom, said hello to the judge and that she is Vance's mother although she is not. She then paused and then walked back out of the court. The judge took a break after the disruption.

Pressly was found beaten in her Little Rock home in October 2008. She never regained consciousness.

Vance gave police three taped statements, two audio and one video. His story changed with each statement, including one in which he blamed two others for her rape and murder.

Vance is charged with capital murder, rape and burglary. He has pleaded not guilty. He could face the death penalty if convicted. The trial started Monday and Piazza said the murder trial could last two weeks.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/sto ... 00&catid=2

Good Job keeping up with this case, Doreen!
You're doing much better than I am.

I thought they locked the courtroom doors while court was in session. How did a lady walk in, cause a disruption, and walk out?

I'm glad they're making progress on jury selection, but I have to admit, this part of the process is much more interesting than I thought it would be!

Did any of the prospective jurors mention being a crime blogger? I wonder how the judge would respond to that?

Jury Seated in Pressly Trial

Okay now they are set!

Im not sure Bill how that woman got in. I thought that they lock the doors as well

Twelve jurors and two alternates have been seated for the capital murder trial of a man charged in last year's death of Arkansas television personality Anne Pressly.

Curtis Vance of Marianna has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges. The judge and lawyers took the better part of three days to seat a panel that will hear the high-profile case.

Circuit Judge Chris Piazza had wanted to begin hearing from lawyers and witnesses this morning, but jury selection hit a snag when a juror picked Tuesday said Wednesday he couldn't vote for the death penalty. The final two jurors, plus two alternates, were selected late this morning and early this afternoon.

The trial could take two weeks.

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/ar ... ssly_trial

Day Three Of Curtis Vance Murder Trial In Anne Pressly's Death

Day three of the Curtis Vance murder trial began Wednesday morning in Little Rock. Vance is accused of killing KATV anchor Anne Pressly.



Wednesday's proceedings wrapped around 5:30 p.m. However, before it ended, the state called its first witnesses. The witnesses included people who came directly in contact with Anne Pressly.

The first police officer who went to Pressly's house after her attack took the stand. An ER doctor and nurse also testified. They all spoke about Pressly's condition saying she was covered in blood, struggling for air and was unrecognizable.

In emotional testimony, Anne Pressly's mother Patti Cannady also took the stand. She looked directly at the jurors. She described finding her only child covered in blood. Cannady went on to say she's still shocked to this day by what she saw. She said she heard her daughter moan while struggling to breathe.

Prior to the state calling the first of its witnesses, both the state and defense attorneys laid out their cases. Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley delivered the state's opening statement. The courtroom was nearly silent as he spoke for about 45 minutes. He says the state's case will center around DNA evidence that places Vance in Pressly's bedroom, Vance's repeated statements to Little Rock Police and good old-fashioned police work.

Attorney Lott Rolfe delivered the opening statement for the defense. He spoke for less than ten minutes. He says the defense's case will center around two words: probable cause. He went on to say police were in a rush to arrest someone, despite having weak evidence.

The 12 jurors seated and two alternates were selected by Wednesday afternoon. There are six women and six men on the jury. The alternates are a man and woman.

Judge Chris Piazza said he found it surprisingly easy to pick the jury despite the pretrial publicity.

Court is expected to begin Thursday morning at 9 a.m.

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/sto ... 75&catid=2