Lawyer: Hearing not needed in Pressly death appeal

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A lawyer for the man convicted of killing Little Rock television anchor Anne Pressly says briefs filed to appeal his conviction provide enough information for the state Supreme Court to decide the case and that no oral arguments are necessary.

Thirty-year-old Curtis Vance is appealing his capital murder and rape conviction for the October 2008 death of the KATV anchor in her Little Rock home. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Tuesday that Janice Vaughn of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission has asked the Supreme Court to cancel oral arguments set for next month in Vance's appeal of his conviction and life sentence.

Vaughn's petition also cites family medical issues and her workload. The petition says the Arkansas attorney general's office doesn't object to the cancellation.