There is still no clear motive in the death of the young journalist

ABC anchor was attacked in home by unknown assailant

By Isobel Scott

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Hollywood Today) 10/27/08 – Anne Pressly, Arkansas news anchor for ABC affiliate KATV, died on Saturday from her injuries.  The 26 year-old had been found battered and bleeding in her home on Oct. 19.  Since then, she had been in a critical condition at a Little Rock hospital.

Half an hour before the TV reporter was due to appear on the KATV “Daybreak” program, her mother, Patti, had gone to Pressly’s home.  She had worried when Anne failed to answer the phone for her regular wake-up call.  Patti found her daughter lying in her bed beaten and stabbed. Her head and upper torso had been bludgeoned and almost every bone in her face was broken. Her fractured left hand led investigators to believe Anne saw the attacker and fought back.

Pressly was a popular local reporter who recently played a small role in the new Oliver Stone movie about George W. Bush’s presidency, “W.”  In the film, she appeared briefly on screen as controversial conservative editorialist Ann Coulter.

The crime currently has no suspects.  Police in Little Rock say Pressly’s neighborhood is not “known for any violent crime.”  There was also no sign of forced entry.  In the hospital, the severity of the blows the young woman received meant the medical team had to keep her sedated.  She had, therefore, been unfit to communicate with her family or police.

The attacker left the scene with the news anchor’s purse.  Detectives found evidence that her credit card was used last Monday at a gas station a few miles from her home.  This may lead to the identification of a suspect in the days to come.

Sgt. Cassandra Davis, a spokeswoman for the Little Rock police, declared that the authorities believed robbery was the motive of the attack.  However, due to the savagery of the assault and the small value of the stolen possessions, some investigators consider she may have been targeted by a stalker or someone who disagreed with her political views.  The father of the deceased, Guy, has also voiced suspicions that the attack was not a random theft.

Anne’s parents have addressed the public together through a statement issued by the hospital.  They declared, “We were 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 our heavenly father.”  The grieving couple asked for privacy to mourn their loss.