Homer gathers July 1 to finally see justice for Duffy
Published 9:30 am Thursday, June 25, 2026
On the day the man who robbed Homer of a beloved member of the community, friends, family and the public at large will join together to celebrate the life of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane.
Kirby Calderwood, 36, will be sentenced at 10 a.m., July 1, at the Homer Courthouse for Murnane’s murder. His plea agreement calls for a 99-year prison sentence with 12 years suspended, for an active jail sentence of 87 years followed by 10 years of probation.
Due to limited space at the courthouse, community members are invited to watch the proceedings live via Zoom at the Homer United Methodist Church.
Afterwards, the community will gather from 5 to 7 p.m. at Bishop’s Beach Pavilion for a potluck and celebration of Duffy’s life. The public is asked to bring a dish or two to share and your own chair to enjoy a live performance by cellist Mannfried Funk, interactive art with Mavis Muller, face painting and balloon animals by Edna & Family, an opportunity to write a love letter for Duffy that will be shared with her family. In case of inclement weather, an alternate gathering location will be emailed and announced on the Bring Duffy Home Facebook page.
Duffy’s Legacy Fund has been established to benefit local early childhood education programs and schools.
“Created to honor Duffy’s love of working with young children, this donor-advised acorn fund will support local youth education programs and schools in perpetuity,” according to Christina Whiting, on behalf of Duffy’s Family & Friends.
“Duffy’s family opened the fund with $10,000 and will match individual donations up to $5,000 total, at which point local groups can begin applying for funding.”
You can find out more about the fund at https://homer.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1760.
Duffy’s Legacy Cookbook is also being created to incorporate youth and community member recipes with a goal of publishing and selling locally spring 2027 to help raise money for the fund. Email duffyslegacyfund@gmail.com for updates on the fund and for information on the cookbook, including how to submit you and your children’s favorite recipes.
Murnane was last seen leaving the assisted living facility where she lived on Oct. 17, 2019.
A massive search for her whereabouts was conducted involving the police, firefighters, and many civilian members of the Homer community, however, Murnane was never found.
The Homer Police Department led a multi-year investigation into Murnane’s murder that intensified after a 2022 Kenai Peninsula Crime Stopper tip stated that Calderwood kidnapped, murdered, and disposed of Murnane.
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 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 Murnane’s watch in a drawer with a missing person poster for her.
