Camping murder suspect claimed self-defense though victim offered him beer

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Sister of Montana homicide victim speaks about her brother

Jillian Price, sister of Montana homicide victim Dustin Kjersem, spoke to Fox News Digital about the loss of her brother, the ongoing homicide investigation, and her plea to help investigators find a suspect.

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The suspect in the murder of a Montana dad and avid outdoorsman claimed self-defense in his confession, while police say the victim offered his alleged killer a beer. 

Daren Christopher Abbey told police that he killed 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem in “self-defense” on Thursday, Oct. 10, adding that he “hit the victim on the head with a piece of firewood, stabbed the victim in the neck with a screwdriver, and hit the victim on the face with the blunt side of the axe,” according to charging documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

However, the lack of defensive injuries on Abbey was not consistent with self-defense, the documents add.

Kjersem arrived in the Moose Creek area, near Big Sky, Montana, on Oct. 10 and set up camp, including “a wall tent complete with wood stove, beds, lamps and multiple other items.”

BEER CAN USED TO TRACK SUSPECT IN DAD’S CAMPING TRIP MURDER: POLICE

Daren Christopher Abbey has been charged with the murder of Montana dad Dustin Kjersem. (Montana Department of Corrections)

During Abbey’s confession, police learned that the suspect was looking for a place to camp and had planned on this particular site, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said in a press conference. 

“As he approached the site, he realized someone was staying there, [Abbey] stated, Dustin welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer,” Springer added. “By all accounts, this homicide appears to be a chance encounter. There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect.”

Abbey, 41, was charged with deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence, records show. The homicide charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“I will probably never be able to express the amount of gratitude I have for all the people who worked tirelessly on this case,” Kjersem’s sister, Jillian Price, told Fox News Digital. “I know so many experts put in long hours, determined to find who was responsible.”

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Dustin Kjersem was found dead in his tent while camping in Montana. Police described it as a “vicious attack.” (Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office)

Gallatin County detectives were able to identify Abbey, who was living in Basin, Montana, and working in the Big Sky area, based on a DNA sample collected from a beer can inside the tent where Kjersem was found dead. The can was sent to the Montana State Crime Lab. 

Authorities discovered “two shot glasses, both with a slice of lime in them” at the crime scene, indicating that a second person may have been present in Kjersem’s tent. They also found three beer cans on the floor of the tent, documents say. 

It was initially believed that Kjersem had suffered from a bear attack, until authorities determined it was a homicide. 

Detectives noted several injuries to the victim’s head, neck and face, including what appeared to be “chop wounds.”  

SUSPECT IN CAMPING TRIP MURDER IDENTIFIED AFTER DAD FOUND BUTCHERED IN TENT

Lone Peak and Moonlight Basin Ski Resorts near Big Sky, Montana. (TMI / Alamy Stock Photo)

Kjersem’s girlfriend told police that he was supposed to pick her up that Friday evening after she finished work, but when he didn’t show up or respond to her text messages, she got worried and went to search for him with a friend on Saturday morning, Oct. 12. At the campsite, she discovered him deceased in the tent. 

Kjersem has a daughter and a stepson, his sister previously told Fox News Digital. 

“To the family and friends of Dustin Kjersem, you are all in our thoughts and prayers. No one deserves to have this happen to them,” Springer said. “I hope this can bring a little bit of peace to all of you, and I’m sorry you’re having to go through this.”

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Dustin Kjersem and his daughter. Kjersem was brutally killed while camping near Big Sky, Montana. (GoFundMe)

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The suspect admitted he took multiple items from Kjersem’s campsite, including, “two coolers, an axe, a 44 magnum pistol and holster, a shotgun, and a shotgun ammunition sleeve” because they had his fingerprints on them, and he admitted he was prohibited from possessing firearms, according to charging documents. 

He also confessed to washing the axe and screwdriver he used to kill Kjersem in the creek and burning the shoes he was wearing during the crime in a wood stove, records show. 

He told police he had returned to the campsite the day after his crime to get a hat he left behind and stole a pair of binoculars and a headlamp from the victim’s truck, documents say.

CRIME SCENE CLUE COULD HELP SOLVE YOUNG DAD’S CAMPING TRIP MURDER AS KILLER REMAINS ON THE LOOSE

Authorities had asked for the public to help locate an axe that they believed was missing from the crime scene. (Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office)

Abbey was charged in 2018 and 2020 with two separate driving under the influence offenses, according to his profile on the Montana Department of Correction website. He has tattoos all over his body, including an “iron cross w/ swastika” and another “swastika, SS lightning bolts,” symbols used by Germany’s Nazi Party.

The suspect was previously convicted of malicious harassment after he was beaten up by a man he was harassing in North Idaho, according to a 2012 Spokesman-Review report.

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“This appears to be a heinous crime committed by an individual who had no regard for the life of Dustin Kjersem,” Springer said. “The motives of this attack are still unknown, and the investigators will continue to piece together everything they can to build a better picture of the events that evening.”

Abbey’s bail was set at $1.5 million in court on Friday. He is being held at the Gallatin County Jail in Bozeman, Montana, according to the Montana Department of Corrections. It was not immediately clear if Abbey had retained an attorney. 

“There is still so much more work to do,” Price told Fox News Digital. “This feels like just the beginning of a very long road.” 

Mollie Markowitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Email tips to mollie.markowitz@fox.com. She joined Fox in 2019 and made her way from producing live news coverage to true-crime documentaries at Fox Nation. She has interviewed Ted Bundy survivors, the children of notorious serial killers, survivor Lisa McVey, members of law enforcement and families impacted by traumatic crime.Currently, she covers national crime stories for Fox News Digital. You can follow Mollie on LinkedIn.