LANCASTER, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A Berlin man whose actions sparked a statewide Amber Alert and ended with his arrest in Keene was sentenced Thursday to decades in prison for killing the mother of his children.

Dustin Duren was sentenced to 45 years to life in New Hampshire State Prison for the shooting death of Caitlyn Naffziger, 31, a sentence the judge said aligned with prosecutors’ request. Duren was also ordered to pay more than $12,000 in restitution to a victim compensation fund.

Duren was convicted in October of second-degree murder, reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and endangering the welfare of a child following a six-day trial in Coos County Superior Court.

The charges stem from a Feb. 29, 2024, shooting inside a Main Street apartment in Berlin. Prosecutors said Duren shot Naffziger in the head while she was sitting on a couch, then fled the scene with the couple’s two daughters, who were 1 and 4 years old at the time.

An Amber Alert was issued for the children, and Duren was arrested the next morning after a fast-food worker recognized his vehicle in the Applebee’s parking lot on Key Road in Keene. The girls were evaluated by Keene Fire and EMS and found to be unharmed.

During the trial and again at sentencing, the defense argued that Duren believed he was protecting his children from their mother. Prosecutors countered that the case was about anger and control.

In addition to the life sentence on the murder charge, Duren faces a consecutive prison term of 3½ to seven years for reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, should he ever complete the murder sentence. A sentence for child endangerment will be served concurrently.