Alaska torture murder suspect arrested, held in Ogden
OGDEN — An Ogden man is being held without bail in the Weber County Jail, suspected in the kidnapping, sexual assault and slaying of a woman in Homer, Alaska.
An Ogden Police Department probable cause statement said a Homer detective traveled to Ogden for help on a murder investigation. Kirby Calderwood, 32, was identified as a suspect and Ogden officers arrested him after a traffic stop on May 3.
According to the Homer News, Calderwood has been charged with murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence. Charging documents alleged that Calderwood abducted Anesha Murnane on Oct. 17, 2019, took her to a vacant home and sexually assaulted, tortured and killed her. Her body has not been found.
After serving warrants, Ogden police searched Calderwood’s car and Quincy Avenue home. The arrest affidavit said officers found two rifles in the car. They found in the home a machete and several large knives with dried blood on them, plus drug paraphernalia and marijuana.
The Weber County Attorney’s Office on May 6 charged Calderwood with third-degree felony possession of firearm by a restricted person, plus three misdemeanor weapon possession charges. He also was charged with misdemeanor counts of violating a protective order and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
In their request to have Calderwood held without bail, Ogden police said he is aware of the homicide investigation and thus is a danger to flee if released from jail. “Following being interviewed by investigators during the homicide investigation, Calderwood fled Alaska and moved to Utah,” the affidavit said.
Calderwood was driving a van that he bought in Idaho but never registered in Utah, “further supporting his willingness to hide or attempt to prevent law enforcement from tracking him,” the document said.
In addition, Calderwood allegedly was in violation of a protective order that was served in December because the order prohibited him from possessing weapons. The protective order was obtained by a woman in Cache County.