Anne Pressley’s Murder Trial Over/Curtis Vance Found GUILTY
Anne Pressly, Arkansas Anchorwoman was Beaten, Raped, and Murdered Last Year
A jury has found Curtis Vance guilty in the murder and rape of Little Rock, Arkansas anchorwoman Anne Pressly. He was also convicted of burglary and theft of property.
Prosecutors told the jurors in the trial that DNA evidence proved that Vance, 29, was the one who broke into Pressly's home last October and savagely beat and raped her until she was unconscious. After a tremendous fight, Pressly died five days later. The prosecutors also said the DNA evidence linked Vance to another attack, the rape of a school teacher in Marianna, Arkansas, about 100 miles away.
The defense: the police made him confess, because they were under extreme pressure to make an arrest in this case. Really? So DNA means nothing? This is embarrassing. That’s the defense? They can’t come up with anything better than that? This guy should have pleaded guilty and spared this poor family the pain of a trial, but as always, it is someone else’s fault, even the police.
Pressly was a popular morning news anchor in Little Rock. She also had a small part in President Bush biopic movie “W”.
Her parents always called her at 3:00a.m. as a wake up call. On the morning of October 20, 2008, Pressly never answered. After repeated calls, her parents became very worried and her mother rushed to her home where she found the back door wide open, and inside, her daughter was gasping for breath in a pool of blood.
Last year, after this vicious attack, Pressly's mother, Patti Cannady, told NBC, her daughter fought hard for her life, breaking her left hand in the process. "I found my daughter beyond recognition, with every bone in her face broken, her nose broken, her jaw pulverized so badly that the bone had come out of it. I actually thought that her throat had possibly been cut. Her entire skull had numerous fractures from which she suffered a massive stroke."
At the trial, Cannady was among the first witnesses to take the stand. "It was Anne, but she was so swollen and her hair was completely matted with blood, she was beyond recognition," Cannady said. "There was blood on the ceiling. That's how horrific her attack was." During Patty Pressly’s heartwrenching testimony, she stared down at Vance and choked back tears. "It was horrific," she told the jury. "I absolutely could not take the scene in. I could not imagine what I was seeing when I found my daughter."
A nurse who also testified told the court she had never seen anyone so badly wounded who was still alive. Another medical examiner also testified that the front of Pressly’s face was broken “like an egg”.
After the verdicts were read, Pressly's mother, Patti Cannady, raised a hand and said, "Praise God. Praise God." She burst into sobs.
Once the jurors had left, Vance gestured toward the empty jury box, pointed to his eyes and ears and shook his head. Whatever that was suppose to mean…..wow, I am innocent, my DNA is all over the place, but I didn’t do it. Disgusting.
A good friend of Anne Pressly, Jessica Dean, told Good Morning America “It feels like we’ve held our breath over the last year and we were finally able to exhale a little bit.”
Dean described her friend as remarkably funny, smart, and dedicated. Discussing Anne Pressly’s parents, Patty and Guy, she described them as “pillars of strength” through this ordeal. "They have set this example, and I know they have drawn strongly from their faith," Dean said. "When we get into the fetal position and can't do it anymore we look to Patti and Guy."
Another friend of Anne’s, David Bazzel said "Today was justice for Anne," after the verdict. "And it's taken a year to get to it, and I know nobody's more grateful than the parents and all of us as friends." He said the hardest part of the trial was having to listen to an account of the last moments of Pressly's life. "The whole thing was surreal for me," he said. "This was not 'CSI.' This was not a movie. This was our friend that had to go through horrible last minutes of her life, and it's just hard to hear that and to think that anybody could do this to anybody." He said of Vance, "What he did to her, the death penalty is not enough for him."
The jury is now deciding if this monster, Curtis Vance should get life in prison or the death penalty. I pray they put him on death row.
I feel so bad for these parents. What a horrific way to lose a daughter. I hope they find some peace that their daughter’s killer has been found guilty. I also hope the jury comes back quickly with a dealth penalty verdict. I will really be surprised if it is anything different.
Curtis Vance found guilty of rape and murder
Jaycee Dugard at the age of 29
Jaycee Dugard on the cover of People Magazine set to be on newsstands Friday, October 16th
The anticipation is over and the veil has been lifted, so to speak. After all the speculation. We finally get a look at Jaycee Dugard. There she is….alive, well and beautiful on the cover of People magazine.
She did not give an interview to the magazine, but did give some statements. One statement being “I’m so happy to be back with my family. Nothing is more important than the unconditional love and support I have from them”.
The picture of her shows her with light brown hair and the same blue eyes that match her picture when she was 11 years old and abducted while walking to the bus stop before school all those years ago.
She is beautiful and surprisingly looks to be around 19 years old. Not her actual age of 29. She really looks amazing for what she has been through. Inside the magazine is several pages of more pictures of Jaycee and her mother. Her two daughters, allegedly fathered by Jaycee’s abductor, are also photographed, but only from the back.
What an inspiration to other parents who are desperately looking for their missing children. Gives them some hope that their loved one is still out there. As for Jaycee Dugard, I am thankful to her for sharing the photos. It is wonderful to see her and know she is O.K. She is a miracle.
Proof there is Justice, Even if it is 19 Years Later
Picture to the right is of Jennifer Schuett at the age of 8 when she was kidnapped, raped, and left for dead in 1990.
This beautiful little girl, Jennifer Schuett, in 1990 was taken from her own bed by a man who crawled through her window. He took her to a remote field, brutally raped her, slit her throat, and left her for dead.
Amazingly, 14 hours later she was found alive. This young girl is a survivor and a hero. She has lived her adult life helping other victims and speaking out in hopes to find the man who attacked her.
And now it has happened. 19 years later it happened. Dennis Earl Bradford, a 40-year-old welder, was arrested near Little Rock, Arkansas where he has lived for the last 7 years with his wife and two children. In 1990, at the time of the brutal attack, Dennis Bradford lived less than two miles from Jennifer Schuett’s apartment.
Jennifer’s Schuett’s description of her attacker to a sketch artist in 1990 turned out to be amazingly similar to Dennis Earl Bradford’s driver’s license picture from the time.
During a press conference announcing the arrest, 27-year-old Jennifer Schuett said, “This event in my life was a tragic one. Today, 19 years later, I stand here and want you all to know that I am OK. I am not a victim, but instead, victorious.” She also said “I hope that my case will remain as a reminder to all victims of violent crime to never give up hope … With determination and by using your voice to speak out, you are capable of anything”.
This woman is so brave and amazing. When she was 8 years old, this monster tried to silence her permanently, by cutting her throat and slicing her voice box. She was unable to cry or scream for help. From her hospital bed after being found, she communicated with investigators through handwritten notes what had happened to her. Even then and definitely today, she is anything but silent.
Beautiful Jennifer Schuett 2009 “Victorious’ in her own words.
More on Jaycee Lee Dugard
The picture on the left is of Jaycee Dugard that was posted everywhere in 1991 when she first went missing. The picture on the right is an age progression picture of what Jaycee might look like today.
What an incredible story to follow. Jaycee and her two daughters ages 15 and 11 (who she had with her kidnapper) are said to be reunited with Jaycee’s mother. There has not been any public appearances. I am glad they are getting some time to be alone, talk about the last 18 years, and cry. Can you imagine what the conversation would be? So much to talk about. 18 years. Does Jaycee remember her school classmates from when she was 11 years old? What does she remember about her parents, her home, her family? The day she was taken? What has she been thinking all these years? Did she think her parents stopped looking for her? What a joy that she is alive, but what sorrow for what she and her parents went through.
There are reports that she suffers from “Stockholm Syndrome”. This is a condition that develops after the initial feelings of terror and confusion wear off and involves the victim building a positive bond/relationship with their kidnapper as a way to cope with the trauma of being held captive. Instead of feeling anger and hating the person who has abducted them, they come to empathise with them and view the outside world as the enemy. Jaycee’s stepfather made comments to the press suggesting that Jaycee has guilty feelings of forming a bond with her kidnapper.
Jaycee’s grandmother Wilma Probyn, age 83, claims that is the only reason that her granddaughter is still alive, because she did bond with the kidnapper.
No doubt about it, this story is taking on all kinds of twists and turns. Now, the FBI have said they are checking into many murders of prostitutes in the area, possibly Jaycee’s abductor is also a serial killer!??
More postings to come. For now, if you are a parent, hug your children a little tighter tonight. Enjoy the blessings of the day and your family. How lucky we are…..to have and know where our children are right now. The knowledge that they are safe. Pray for those families that still don’t know, that don’t have answers….and now, because of Jaycee Dugard, maybe some of those families have more hope then ever before.
Jaycee Lee Dugard
Most of you have probably already heard this breaking news….Jaycee Lee Dugard is ALIVE! Now the question is “is she well”.
What an unbelievable story! How amazing! What joy….she has been found and she is alive! But how can your stomach not be tied in knots and feel the real sickness of the life she has had? So sad and disgusting to hear about the abuse she went through.
Laws need to be changed. Sex offenders need to be locked up for GOOD! They prove to all the communities in this world, that they WILL offend again. Our children are not safe with these sick freaks out there. As parents….this is our worst nightmare…and it must STOP! We need to protect our children from these people.
As neighbors, we need to always be watching. You can’t feel like “this is none of my business”. If you have questions or concerns, you need to call and report. And the most important thing….you MUST follow UP!! Make sure something was done….make sure the police checked on your concern. In Jaycee Dugard’s case, a neighbor DID call the police, complaining of children living in tents in her neighbors backyard. The police went to the home and spoke with the abductor and sexual predator, not even checking the backyard. BIG mistakes were obviously made! I am glad that the police are taking responsibility for this now, but things need to change! We need laws with ZERO tolerance for these people. You hurt our children ONCE….you go to jail…..you die in jail….you DON’T get a second, third, or fourth chance.
I would love to hear your responses and comments about this.
