Crimetober Series - October 20 (Anne Pressly's Beating & Death)

Day 20 of the Crimetober Series is about the brutal beating of Anne Pressly which occurred on October 20, 2008 and led to her eventual death.

I apologize for the late release 

Sources 

https://popculturecrime.medium.com/today-in-true-crime-history-october-20-5a31d2bb6742 
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/anchorwoman-anne-pressly-beaten-to-death-with-garden-tool-by-curtis-lavelle-vance-says-detective/ 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Pressly 
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/anne-pressly-guilty-verdict-anchorwoman-murder-curtis-vance/story?id=9057397 
https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/search.php?dcnum=146095&a=1&CRIME=01&RUN=47&disclaimer=1 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Welcome back to Nature Versus Narcissism. As always, I'm your host, Heather,
and today I'm rolling solo. Many of our longtime listeners
know that each Spooky season we like to throw a
bit of a curve ball and share a series with
you that doesn't quite follow the main feed format, and
this year is no different. This year, we're aiming to
bring you at least one main Feed episode per day
in October, plus some Patreon episodes sprinkled throughout, even if

(00:43):
that means you're receiving them late because life is hectic
and unpredictable and shit happens. But at least you'll get
an episode for each day of October. Because this year
we're bringing you a story about a crime that occurred
on or has a connection to, each day in October.
And today we're talking about October twentieth, So why don't
we get started. In today's episode, I want to discuss

(01:05):
the day that Anne Presley was found unresponsive in her bed,
which occurred on October twentieth, two thousand and eight. I
don't know a lot about Anne Presley, but I'm eager
to learn more and may cover her a bit more
in depth later. What I do know is that Anne
Presley was born in Beaufort, South Carolina, and grew up
in Greenville, South Carolina. She moved to Little Rock during

(01:26):
her high school junior year when her mother remarried. After
earning her BA in political science from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee,
Presley was hired at KATV in May two thousand and
four to produce Good Morning Arkansas and report for Midday
Arkansas and Saturday Daybreak. She was promoted to a full
time reporter position in November of two thousand and four.

(01:49):
Presley's most notable interview was with Vice President Dick Cheney.
A chance encounter with a casting director while working on
a story helped her land a small role as cana
As Black, a conservative commentator in Oliver Stone's two thousand
and eight film w From all accounts, Presley lived alone
and with her two Cocker Spaniel dogs. On the day

(02:13):
of her brutal attack. Anne Presley was found at four
thirty am on October twentieth, two thousand and eight, which
was just half an hour before she was due to
appear on the station's daybreak program. Little Rock police were
alerted by her mother, Patricia Kennedy when Presley did not
answer her wake up call. Kennedy was the person who
found Presley unresponsive in her bed, with injury sustained to

(02:35):
her head and upper body consistent with a beating. I
can't even imagine being the one to find my daughter
in such a way, the pure shock and heartbreak that
her poor mom must have felt that day. And it
was later determined that she had been raped and her
left hand had been broken, as well as her face
being crushed to a point that she was not recognizable.

(03:00):
But why would someone do such a thing? What was
the motive? Police indicated that whoever attacked her took her laptop, computer,
her handbag with a credit card, and nothing else. So
was this a robbery gone wrong? Investigators believe so, since
her purse and credit card were taken, and then the

(03:22):
credit card was used at a gas station a little
while after her body was discovered. It was believed that
the attacker entered the home through the doggye door. Presley
was immediately taken to the hospital, but unfortunately died of
her injuries at Saint Vincent Infirmary Medical Center five days later,
on October twenty fifth, two thousand and eight, and on
the evening of her death, Presley's mother and stepfather released

(03:45):
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 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

(04:07):
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 Saint Vincent. Our lives
will not be the same without her. We ask that

(04:28):
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. According to Fox sixteen in wr e
G TV Memphis, a memorial service for Presley was scheduled
for October thirtieth, two thousand and eight, KATV set up
a reward fund for information on Presley's murder, and the

(04:49):
fund exceeded fifty thousand dollars. Her family requested that either
contributions be made to the fund or a scholarship fund
established in her name. Alma Mater Rhodes College expressed a
desire to honor her by either establishing a memorial, setting
up a scholarship, or supporting her favorite charity. So again,

(05:11):
who the fuck would do such a thing to someone?
And by all accounts, nobody had any indication as to
why somebody would target her. Just a little over a
month after her tragic death, Little Rock, Arkansas police arrested
Curtis Lavelle Vance on November twenty six, two thousand and eight,
for the murder of Anne Presley, and almost one year later,

(05:34):
on November eleventh, two thousand and nine, Vance was convicted
of capital murder, residential burglary, rape, and theft of property.
There was never any link between Presley's profession and the
attack by Vance, so police surmised that it was a
crime of opportunity, and the following day, on November twelfth,
two thousand and nine. He was sentenced to life in

(05:54):
prison without parole. DNA evidence had proven that Vance was
Presley's rapist and attacker, according to CBS News. Moreover, Vance
was also charged with the kidnapping and rape of Kristen
Edwards on April twenty first, two thousand and eight, at
her home in Marianna, Arkansas, according to a Lee County
Justice article, and before he fled with Edwards, he stole

(06:17):
her cell phone and charger, a video and three dollars,
all the cash she had with her at the time.
Vance was subjected to a swab test for his DNA,
and all sixteen genetic markers the test compared matched the
DNA recovered from the seamen in Edwards's abduction. During that trial,
Vance admitted under questioning that he had been inside Edwards's

(06:38):
home on the morning of the kidnapping, although he claimed
that it was because there was quote mobs roaming the
streets in Little Rock End quote that morning and he
was afraid. Despite his admission of being in the victim's home,
her being brutally raped and forced from her home at
gunpoint that morning, and the statistically negligible chance of his

(07:00):
DNA matching anyone else's. The jury was hung, resulting in
a mistrial, but the DNA definitely helped in Presley's case,
and the Arkansas Supreme Court rejected Vance's appeal on June second,
twenty eleven. He is being held in a maximum security
unit in Tucker, Arkansas. Even while locked up, he can't
seem to get out of trouble though. He has had

(07:22):
five major guilty disciplinary violations since twenty twenty two. So
what are your thoughts? Do you think he's guilty of
Kristen Edwards's rape and kidnapping as well? I'd love to
hear your thoughts or if you have any more information
about either of these cases, we'd love to hear from
you share it with us. Maybe we can do an update,
episode or something. So please reach out to us Nature

(07:46):
Versus Narcissism at gmail dot com. And until next time,
stay inside, stay alive, and don't call the cops. II