Kirby Calderwood, a 36-year-old former worker at an Alaska assisted living facility, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2019 death of 38-year-old Anesha “Duffy” Murnane. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges like first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual assault, with sentencing set for July 1, 2026, under a plea deal for 99 years in prison with 12 years suspended.
The disappearance and murder
Murnane, who lived at MainTree Housing in Homer on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula and had bipolar disorder, vanished on October 17, 2019, while walking to a doctor’s appointment. Calderwood, who knew her from his job there in 2018, allegedly picked her up in his blue Subaru, lured her into an empty house owned by his then-girlfriend’s parents under the pretense of grabbing a phone charger, tortured her in the crawl space, killed her, and disposed of her body in a dumpster after tossing her phone in a lake.
Investigation breakthrough
Her body was never found despite community searches, but a 2022 Crime Stoppers tip from Calderwood’s then-wife alleged he confessed to the killing and provided details leading police to search the crawl space, where they recovered Murnane’s blood and DNA. In Utah, where Calderwood had fled, authorities found her distinctive black Timex watch—matching photos and tip descriptions—in his drawer alongside her missing-person flyer.
Background on suspect
Affidavits described Calderwood’s history of alleged violent sexual behavior toward women, animal cruelty since childhood, and fantasies of torture, reported by multiple ex-partners including to the U.S. Army. He was arrested in Utah in May 2022, extradited to Alaska, and indicted on multiple felonies before the plea deal.
