Jury Selection Underway in Anne Pressly Murder Trial

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Jury selection is underway for the trial of Curtis Vance. He's charged with capital murder, burglary and rape of Little Rock anchorwoman Anne Pressly.

As of 5:00pm Monday, 4 jurors were selected. At this pace, attorneys we spoke with say jury selection could take all week.

The judge wants 12 jurors and 2 alternates. Of the 100-120 potential jurors summoned, only 1 had not heard anything about the case.

28 year old Vance entered the courtroom Monday, dressed in a blue dress shirt and navy slacks. There, he faced a number of potential jurors that could ultimately decide his future.

Felicia Epps, assistant Dean at Bowen School of Law in Little Rock says, "it sounds like they're being slow and careful, which they need to do in this instance because this is potentially someone's life on the line."

2 jurors were dismissed because they were Vance's cousins. Many said they couldn't spend the week and a half to two weeks it's expected to take to hear the case, and 4 said they could not be fair.

Vance pleaded not guilty to capital murder, burglary and rape of Little Rock anchorwoman and 2004 Rhodes College graduate, Anne Pressly.

She was found in her home badly beaten last October. The case was highly publicized, but Epps says attorneys will be able to find a fair jury, in time.

Epps says, "Although there was a lot of publicity, what it comes down to is if jurors can put aside what they saw on TV, read in a newspaper or heard on the radio."

Police say Vance admitted to beating Pressly and say they found his DNA in her home. Vance says he was coerced into giving statements and his DNA. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Jurors were asked about their views on the death penalty, racism and impact if Vance did not take the stand.

Jurors are not being sequestered but a judge asked them to stay away from the TV, newspapers and avoid conversations about the case, something Epps says may be difficult.

Epps says, "What they have to remember is that as jurors they took an oath, an obligation to uphold the law and follow instructions the judge has given them."

Witnesses were also sworn in Monday, including Anne Pressly's mother, reporters from Pressly's TV station, detectives and Vance's family. The judge told them to return Wednesday at 11am when he expects opening arguments to begin.

This is the first death penalty case in Little Rock in 5 years.