February 6, 2026
(Kenai, AK) – Yesterday, 36-year-old Kirby Calderwood pled guilty to Murder in the Second Degree before Kenai Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson and admitted that he had murdered Homer resident Anesha “Duffy” Murnane.
On Oct. 17, 2019, Ms. Murnane went missing. A beloved member of the Homer community, Ms. Murnane was last seen leaving the assisted living facility where she lived. A massive search for her whereabouts was conducted involving the police, firefighters, and many civilian members of the Homer community. Ms. Murnane was never found. Homer Police investigated the case as a homicide, though her remains were never recovered.
In 2022, a Kenai Peninsula Crime Stopper tip stated that Calderwood kidnapped, murdered, and disposed of Murnane. Police were able to determine that Calderwood had worked at the assisted living facility where Ms. Murnane lived. He moved from Homer to Utah after she went missing. Later in 2022, Calderwood’s wife told the police that Calderwood had confessed to murdering Murnane in the crawlspace of his then-girlfriend’s parent’s house. Homer Police and the FBI investigated the crawlspace and recovered evidence that was found to contain Ms. Murnane’s DNA when tested by the Alaska Department of Public Safety Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory. Utah Police and the FBI searched Calderwood’s Utah home and found Ms. Murnane’s watch in a drawer with a missing person poster for her.
Sentencing is scheduled for July 1 in Homer. The crime of Murder in the Second Degree carries a sentence of between 15 and 99 years. The plea agreement calls for Calderwood to be sentenced to 99 years in prison with 12 years suspended, for an active jail sentence of 87 years to serve, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
The Homer Police Department led the multi-year investigation, with assistance from several other agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Utah State Police, and the Alaska State Troopers. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Scot H. Leaders and Assistant District Attorney Jon Iannaccone with the assistance of paralegal Julie Craig and Anna LaRoche.
Questions: Contact District Attorney Scot H. Leaders (scot.leaders@alaska.gov) or Assistant District Attorney Jon Iannaccone (jon.iannaccone@alaska.gov).
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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.
