A Montana man accused of killing a camper in a brutal attack initially believed to be caused by a bear has been arrested, Gallatin County officials said at a news conference Thursday.
Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, was charged with intentional homicide in the death of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem, who was found dead in his tent at Big Sky by his girlfriend on Oct. 12, officials said. It was not immediately clear whether Abbey had an attorney representing him.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said Kjersem had planned a weekend camping trip with his girlfriend and arrived early on Oct. 10 to set up the campsite. He was supposed to pick her up the next day after she finished work, but he never showed up.
Springer said Kjersem's girlfriend went camping with a friend on Oct. 12 and found him dead in his tent.
In an earlier press release from the sheriff's office, authorities said that due to the ferocity of the attack, the caller who reported Kjersem dead said it may have been caused by a bear. However, there were no signs of bear activity at the campsite and an autopsy determined Kjersem's death to be a homicide.
During the course of the investigation, detectives at the scene collected DNA evidence from a beer can, which led them to Abbey, Springer said.
Abbey was taken into custody in Butte on Saturday on an unrelated charge, and he reportedly confessed to killing Kjersem on Tuesday. Springer said Abbey had worked in the Big Sky area at various times. Booking records show his tattoos include a swastika, an iron cross and SS lightning bolts.
According to Springer, Abbey told investigators that on October 10 he was looking for a place to camp when he came across Kjersem, who welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer.
At some point during the interaction, however, Abbey hit Kjersem with a piece of solid wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and attacked him with an axe, Springer said. Abbey reportedly removed items from the campsite that he believed linked him to the murder.
Springer said the investigation could take months, adding that authorities aren't sure if what Abbey has told them is entirely accurate.
“We have a piece of his story, but we don't really know what the true story is,” Springer said.
