Kyle Hunter Laws Duffner, a 27-year-old resident of Durant, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for second-degree murder. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced the sentencing following Duffner's guilty plea to unlawfully killing a child with malice aforethought.
The investigation was conducted by the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On June 27, 2021, law enforcement responded to a 911 call reporting a non-responsive infant. The child was transported by air for medical care but died shortly after due to injuries. Medical examinations revealed acute rib fractures, older rib fractures in various healing stages, and a possible head injury. A post-mortem examination showed a skull fracture from blunt force impact, multiple contusions on the forehead, jaw, and chest, and rib fractures indicating at least three instances of blunt force trauma.
The incident took place in Bryan County within the Choctaw Nation Reservation in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Chief U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White presided over the hearing at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Duffner will remain in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transported to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the United States in this case.