close
close

Montana camper offered his killer beer — and it contained suspect’s DNA, sheriff says

Montana camper offered his killer beer — and it contained suspect’s DNA, sheriff says

When Dustin Kiersem’s girlfriend found his body while camping in the woods of Montana, she suspected that Kiersem had been killed by a bear because of the severity of his wounds. But police say a man did it, and now they’ve arrested a suspect who has confessed to the crime.

The accused killer “removed items from the campsite that he believed had evidence that could tie him to the crime,” including the ax used against Kiersem, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said at the briefing on Thursday

But he missed a can of beer, Springer said. Using DNA from the bank, the Montana State Crime Lab was able to find a match: Darren Christopher Abbey.

“This man confessed to killing Dustin Kiersem,” the sheriff said of Abby, 41.

Abby is being held in Butte on a charge of first degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence. He was denied bond, according to Gallatin County records.

State documents of the correctional department show that Abbey has four or more DUI arrests, raising the offense to crime rate. He has many tattoos on his stomach and arms, including swastikas and Viking symbols.

Investigators are still determining the motive for the murder. Spring said that while Abby told them her version of events, investigators are still working to make sure they know the whole truth.

“There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect,” Spring said, adding later, “This appears to be a heinous crime committed by an individual who had no respect for the life of Dustin Kiersem.”

Describing Kiersem’s final days, the sheriff said the 35-year-old man set up camp Thursday, Oct. 10, in the Moose Creek area about 35 miles south of Bozeman, where he planned to spend the weekend with his girlfriend.

“This camp had a wall tent with a wood stove, beds, lamps and many other items,” Springer said.

Kjersem’s girlfriend had to work on Friday, so he planned to leave the campsite to bring her back the same night.

“Dustin didn’t show up to pick up his girlfriend and she got worried,” Springer said. “On Saturday morning, she and her friend went camping and found Dustin dead in the tent.”

Abby, who has ties to the nearby town of Big Sky, told investigators he also planned to set up camp that Thursday, but when he got to where he planned to camp, Kjersem was already there.

“He stated that Dustin greeted him at the campsite and offered him a beer,” the sheriff said. “At some point, this individual hit Dustin Gerson with a piece of hardwood, hit him in the neck with a screwdriver and eventually hit him with an axe.”

Springer alleged that Abby took several items from the campsite, including an Estwing camp axe, a Remington shotgun, a Ruger Blackhawk revolver and an orange YETI cooler.

as This is reported by NPR earlier this week the sheriff’s office first said that when Kjersem’s death was reported, a bear attack might have been to blame.

But wildlife officials found no signs of bear activity, and an autopsy confirmed the idea that it was a homicide, sparking the search for Kjersem’s killer.

Copyright 2024 NPR