Little Rock, AR - - Attorneys for the man accused in the killing of anchorwoman Anne Pressly will forego a mental evaluation before he goes to trial. Curtis Vance is charged with capital murder.
The hearing took place before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza. Attorneys for Vance, 28, said they are declining to pursue a mental evaluation for Vance. That eliminates any possibility of claiming insanity as a defense.
The courtroom was full and included his mother Jacqueline Vance and Pressly's mother Patti Cannady. Also, Kristen Edwards, the Marianna school teacher that Vance is accused of raping in April 2008, was in the courtroom facing her alleged attacker for the first time. None of the three spoke with reporters after the hearing.
Judge Piazza set a hearing for motions on June 16 and stated that would be the time to announce a plea deal if both parties agreed to it. Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley said he could not comment on the case because it is on going, however, in past interviews he stated he will listen to the Cannady family to decide what prosecution to pursue. That makes reaching a plea deal in this case remote considering the public statements Pressly's parents have made wanting the most severe punishment possible. Attorneys for Vance had no comment.
But Vance, again, did comment to reporters as he left the courtroom in shackles and a bullet-resistant vest.
When asked if he had anything to say to Pressly's family and friends he did respond.
"Keep praying, and you know, maybe somebody will find somebody," Vance says.
Vance was quieter when asked about his whereabouts in the hours when Pressly was attacked in her Heights home.
Goins asks: "Where were you on October 20th? Do you have an alibi?" Vance says: "yeah." Goins asks: "where were you?"
At the shouting of one his defense attorneys to say nothing, Vance did not answer the question.
A pretrial hearing is set for August 18 with a trial date of September 9. Prosecutors have not decided whether they will pursue the death penalty in the case.
