Slain Anchor Was Raped, Beaten

The parents of slain anchorwoman Anne Pressly said today she was raped and beaten before being killed, KATV reports. They told the Today show's Matt Lauer that Pressly's hand and jaw were broken in the attack, reports the AP. "This monster stole my daughter's innocence," Pressly's mother said. "He took her life. He took her identity." Police, who have so far called the case a homicide, would not verify the remarks.

"A lot of those details, we want the jury to hear those first," a police lieutenant said. Suspect Curtis Lavelle Vance, who is jailed without bond, talked to public defenders for the first time today. He has denied responsibility in the Pressly slaying. Investigators linked Vance to the crime scene with DNA evidence and say they have solved the case "with all scientific certainty."
(More Anne Pressly stories.)