Man charged in death of adult

Calderwood accused of raping, torturing vulnerable woman

HOMER, Alaska — A Utah man has been accused of raping, torturing and murdering a vulnerable adult when he lived in Alaska.

Kirby F. Calderwood, 32, was arrested Monday by police in Ogden, Utah, the Homer Police Department said. He was charged Saturday in Alaska with first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane, the Homer News reported.

Murnane went missing Oct. 17, 2019, when she set out for a mile walk from her apartment to a Homer medical clinic for an appointment but was never seen again.

Authorities allege Calderwood picked her up and drove her to the unoccupied home of his then-girlfriend’s parents, where he assaulted and tortured her for hours before killing her. The girlfriend was out of town, according to an affidavit from an investigator with the police department.

Murnane’s body has not been recovered.

Calderwood is being held on $1 million bail in Utah. Authorities say he lived in Homer at the time Murnane disappeared and knew her from working at her supported housing complex and other social programs.

His attorney, Michael Bouwhuis in Ogden, did not immediately return a call Tuesday to The Associated Press seeking comment.

Police said Calderwood was already a person of interest and interviewed about the case in 2021 before a tipster called Kenai Peninsula Crimestoppers in Alaska in April, saying he talked to them about the kidnapping and death of Murnane.

The tipster also said Calderwood had a woman’s Timex watch he took from the victim. When Ogden police executed a search warrant at Calderwood’s home, they said they found a Timex that matched a description that Murnane’s parents gave police.

Calderwood fled to Utah after being questioned by detectives in Alaska, Utah prosecutors said in court documents.

Homer Police Investigator Matt Haney said in the affidavit that he and Ogden police officers executed multiple search warrants related to Calderwood in Ogden on May 5.

The first warrant was served on Caldwell during a traffic stop as he left the residence.

Despite a protective order against him barring him from having guns, police found two rifles in his car. They also found a machete and other large knives that appeared to have dried blood on them during a search of his home, court documents state.

Murnane was 38 when she left her supported housing complex and disappeared.

Unsuccessful searches continued throughout the fall, and Murnane was declared dead June 17, 2021, in a presumptive death jury hearing. The jury determined she most likely died by homicide.