Arkansas TV Anchor Slaying Suspect To Appear In Court

The man accused of killing an Arkansas television anchorwoman from South Carolina will appear in court and could discuss why he refused to take part in a mental competency exam.

By: AP | WJBF-TV
Published: June 16, 2009

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The man accused of killing an Arkansas television anchorwoman from South Carolina will appear in court and could discuss why he refused to take part in a mental competency exam.

Curtis Lavelle Vance will appear before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The hearing was scheduled to discuss the exam, but Vance declined to take part in it. However, a psychiatrist from the Arkansas State Hospital says Vance refused the test in a "rational" way.

Vance, 28, is accused in the October beating death of Anne Pressly, a morning anchorwoman for Little Rock television station KATV from Greenville, S.C. Vance has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and other charges and faces a Sept. 9 trial. Prosecutors have yet to say whether they'll seek the death penalty.