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 confirmed the sentence for one count of Murder in Indian Country—Second Degree.
The investigation was conducted by the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Duffner had pleaded guilty on December 4, 2024, to unlawfully killing a child with malice aforethought. The incident dates back to June 27, 2021, when law enforcement responded to a report of a non-responsive infant. Despite being airlifted for medical care, the child succumbed to injuries shortly after arrival at the facility.
Medical evaluations revealed acute rib fractures and older fractures in various healing stages. There was also evidence of a possible head injury. A post-mortem examination showed a skull fracture from blunt force impact and multiple contusions on different parts of the body consistent with repeated trauma.
The crime took place in Bryan County within the Choctaw Nation Reservation's boundaries 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 is set to remain under U.S. Marshals Service custody until he is transported to a designated Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the United States during this case.
