Parents Say TV Anchorwoman Was Sexually Assaulted

The parents of a television anchorwoman who was beaten to death in her home say she was also sexually assaulted. Anne Pressly was beaten so badly her jaw was shattered and she broke her hand trying to defend herself, her parents told NBC's "Today" show.

Curtis Lavelle Vance, 26, of Marianna, Arkansas has been arrested in connection with Pressly's death.

"This monster stole my daughter's innocence," said Patti Cannady, the mother of Anne Pressly, told NBC. "He took her life. He took her identity. He took our lives."

Cannady said every bone in her Pressly's face had been broken.

"Her jaw pulverized so badly that the bone had come out of it," Cannady said. "I actually thought that her throat, it possibly been cut, but that was possibly the first knockout punch. Her entire skull had numerous fractures from which she suffered a massive stroke."

Linked to Another Sexual Assault

Little Rock police would not confirm the details of the attack on Pressly. "A lot of those details, we want the jury to hear those first," said Police Lt. Terry Hastings.

On October 20, Anne Pressly was found badly beaten in the bedroom of her home in the Pulaski Heights section of Little Rock. She died five days later of her injuries without regaining consciousness.

Vance was arrested Nov. 26 for the murder of Pressly, but the arrest warrant did not mention sexual assault. However, police said DNA evidence found at the Pressly home linked Vance to the rape of a woman in Marianna in April.

See Also:
Parents: Slain Anchorwoman Was Sexually Assaulted

Earlier Articles:
DNA Links Murder Suspect to Earlier Rape
Man Charged in Anchorwoman's Beating Death
Reward Offered for Clues in Anchorwoman's Murder

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