The man arrested for a high-profile murder in Homer pleaded guilty Thursday, more than six years after Anesha Murnane went missing.
The case shook the Kachemak Bay town and prompted communitywide canvassing that garnered national attention, before a tip to the Kenai Peninsula Crime Stoppers led to Kirby Calderwood’s capture in Utah.
“Duffy,” as she was known, was reported missing in October of 2019 after she failed to arrive at a doctor’s appointment.
For years, missing persons flyers were a common fixture around Homer. They showed pictures of the pre-school teacher on the beach, smiling with children, and asked “Who took Duffy?”
This week, Homer residents finally got a solid answer to that question.
The 36-year-old Calderwood pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder in Murnane’s death. It’s part of a plea agreement through which the state will drop eight other charges, which included first-degree murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, manslaughter and sexual assault.
On Thursday, Calderwood sat handcuffed in court, wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit. Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson walked him through the terms of the deal.
“Mr. Calderwood, then to count two of the indictment, which is CTN2, to murder in the second degree,” Lawson said. “Under 11.41.110(a)(1), what is your plea?
“Guilty, Your Honor,” Calderwood said.
Under the plea deal, Calderwood has agreed to an 87-year sentence and will be eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of that – about 58 years. The deal also includes 10 years of probation after his release.
Charging documents say Murnane and Calderwood knew each other through a supportive living facility where Murnane lived and Calderwood had worked.
According to the charges, Calderwood’s arrest came after a tip from his then-wife to the Kenai Peninsula Crime Stoppers.
The information Calderwood’s wife provided was corroborated by DNA evidence according to court documents filed with the plea deal. Murnane’s remains were never found.
“Forensic examination of the crawl space of a residence revealed evidence, including blood and DNA matching Murnane as a part of the factual basis for the plea agreements,” said Mike Moberly, Calderwood’s attorney, reading the plea stipulations. “Calderwood specifically admits and stipulates that, intending to cause serious physical injury, or with knowledge that his conduct was substantially certain to cause death or serious physical injury to Murnane.”
Calderwood was living in Ogden, Utah at the time of his arrest, and the FBI also searched his home there, finding Murnane’s watch and a missing persons poster, according to prosecutors.
In a statement provided to KDLL, Murnane’s uncle, Michael Huelsman, said the long delays in the case represent a “failure of the justice system.”
“Delayed justice is denied justice — and it also wastes taxpayer money,” Huelsman wrote. “For 40 to 50 years, Alaska has spent petroleum revenues on systems that have not delivered timely investigations or accountability. We need a criminal justice system that investigates these crimes more quickly, thoroughly, and professionally, so that more offenders are held accountable without years of delay.”
Lengthy pre-trial delays in Alaska courts have come under scrutiny in recent years. A 2025 analysis by the Anchorage Daily News and Propublica found the average time to resolve serious felonies was around three years – a threefold increase from the decade before.
Huelsman also thanked supporters and friends in Homer, and around the world, for helping search for Murnane, for keeping the case alive, pressing for her killer to be found and attending court hearings.
Murnane’s memory – and the memory of all missing and murdered people – is honored with the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench at the Homer Public Library, which was commissioned by Murnane’s parents. The bench was dedicated in 2022 and was the location of a 2023 lamp lighting ceremony in Murnane’s honor.
Murnane’s mother, Sara Coner Murnane Berg, died in 2024 from cancer. In her obituary – which Murnane Berg wrote herself while receiving hospice care in Wisconsin – she wrote, “Cancer or heart disease will be on my death certificate, but we all know that the real cause was the loss of my dear Duffy.”
Calderwood’s sentencing is set for July 1st in Homer.
*This story was updated on Feb. 6.
