Woman Convicted of Murder on Labor Day 2022 at Federal University

She was sentenced to 90 months in prison with 780 days served and will serve 36 months in custody after her release.

A woman who allegedly shot and killed another woman on Labor Day 2022 has been sentenced to 90 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of first-degree manslaughter.

Kaeja Duncan was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2024, to 90 months in the Department of Corrections with credit for 780 days served for the Sept. 5, 2022, slaying of Anya Lowe, 19, according to court documents. Duncan must serve 36 months of her 90-month prison sentence and has been ordered to have no contact with Lowe’s family for life.

King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Casey McNertney said the dismissal came about because the defense raised a self-defense argument at trial based on some details of the charging documents in the case, but there is never a guarantee what the jury will do or what will happen in court.

“A guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter provides clear responsibility,” McNertney said. “However, the facts still supported a conviction for manslaughter, to which the defendant pleaded guilty.”

McNertney said the state’s standard sentencing range, set by state lawmakers, was 95 to 125 months, and prosecutors asked the court to sentence the defendant to 110 months. He said Duncan’s defense had asked for 78 months.

According to court documents, Duncan was originally charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Instead, Duncan pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The judge asked Duncan to briefly explain in her own words what made her guilty of the crime she pleaded guilty to.

“On September 5, 2022, in King County, I negligently caused the death of Anya Lowe by shooting into the vehicle in which Ms. Lowe was a passenger. Ms. Lowe sprayed me and my cousin Monique Duncan with a bear club before they got into the car and drove off. I then fired into the car, killing Ms. Lowe,” Duncan said in a statement. “I did not intend to kill Ms. Lowe. However, I was aware of the significant risk of death when I fired the gun at the car and did not consider it.”

Details of the crime of 2022

According to charging documents, prosecutors say Duncan fired at a moving vehicle fleeing a parking lot at a condominium complex. Her actions “endangered not only those in the vehicle she shot and killed, but also the people in the complex,” prosecutors wrote.

Also of concern was her possession of a fully automatic “ghost gun,” or an unregistered firearm, prosecutors said. They asked for $2 million bail because of the “extreme danger (Duncan) poses to society if released.”

Lowe died of her injuries at St. Francis Hospital. Charging documents indicate that the 911 caller frantically reported that her friend had been shot at 11:19 p.m.

When Federal Way police responded to the location, 911 operators received new reports of shots fired at the Maplewood Condominiums in the 32100 block of 46th Place SW. About 10 minutes later, while officers canvassed the area, a 19-year-old woman arrived at St. Francis Hospital in a private vehicle with a gunshot wound to the back.

Interviewing witnesses and examining the crime scene allowed police to establish probable cause and execute a search warrant at a residence in the area. By 9:30 a.m., officers located Duncan at that residence and arrested her without incident.

Prosecutors said Duncan had a previous conviction in Pierce County for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.