A year ago, Anne Pressly went from reporting the news to becoming a headline herself.

When the 26-year-old didn’t answer her mom’s early morning wake-up call, Patricia Cannady drove to her daughter’s home and found what no mother should ever see.

She saw Anne; bloody and beaten to within an inch of her life. She’d been raped and robbed. She was unconscious, but alive.

The 26-year-old never regained consciousness; she died 5 days after the attack.

The attack appeared to be a random robbery. Pressly had two cocker spaniels and detectives thought her killer might have got into the house through a dog door. Four weeks later, 28 year old Curtis Vance was charged with capitol murder.

In May, Vance asked for a new defense team, saying he didn’t trust his court-appointed lawyers. The request was denied.

Prosecutors believe the killing happened during a random home invasion unrelated to Pressly’s local fame. They claim to have a taped confession and solid DNA evidence tying Vance to the bloody crime scene—the defense says it will challenge both.

Pressly’s mother will take the stand as one of the witnesses in what promises to be heartbreaking testimony about finding her daughter and, ultimately, losing her.