The man accused of wounding with a screwdriver pleads not guilty

Inset: Dustin Kjersem (Gallatin Sheriff’s Office). Background: Darren Christopher Abbey, 41, appears in district court on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Bozeman, Mont. (Lorenz Busch/Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP)

A man is accused of murdering a tourist who invited him to his tent for a beer Montana the desert declared self-defense.

Darren Christopher Abbey, 41, pleaded not guilty this week to criminal intent murder charges along with two counts of tampering with evidence in the death of 35-year-old Dustin Kiersem.

“I definitely do not plead guilty. Dustin Kiersem tried to kill me,” Abby told the court. the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported.

Like law and crime reported earlierAbby confessed to detectives in the killing of Kjersem, who was camping in the Moose Creek Canyon area on October 10. Kjersem planned to take his girlfriend the next day for a camping weekend. He set up a fenced tent with beds, a wood-burning stove, lamps, and other supplies.

According to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer, Abby arrived in the area on the evening of Oct. 10 with the intention of setting up camp as well.

“When he approached the place, he realized that someone had stayed there. He said Dustin welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer,” Springer said. “At some point, this individual hit Dustin Kjersem with a piece of hardwood, hit him in the neck with a screwdriver, and ultimately hit him with an axe.”

Abbey then allegedly removed several items from the campsite that he believed he had touched, including a cooler, a rifle and an axe. Bozeman CBS KBZK branchciting court documents, said Abby washed the ax and screwdriver away in a nearby creek. He also reportedly returned to the crime scene the next day to retrieve his hat.

But one item Abbey didn’t put away: the can of beer he drank from, Springer said. Detectives turned the bank over to the Montana State Police crime lab. On October 25, Abby returned as a DNA hit. The next day, the police took Abby into custody in the Butte area.

“By all indications, this homicide appears to be a random encounter,” Springer said. “There does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect.”

Springer said a motive for the crime is unknown, although affidavits say Abbey told investigators it was self-defense, but the sheriff believes Abbey was simply trying to get away with murder.

When Kjersem failed to pick up his girlfriend on the evening of October 11, she and another friend went looking for him.

They they found the dead man’s tent shortly after 10 a.m. on Oct. 12, about 2 ½ miles up Moose Creek Road. They looked inside and found his mutilated body, Springer said. The caller said that Kjersem may have been the victim of a bear attack.

But when a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent investigated, he saw no bears at the scene. Detectives determined that Kjersem died of “slash wounds” and was the victim of a homicide, Springer told reporters. Although remote, the area is popular with hikers and backpackers, authorities say.

As the investigators were looking for the suspect, the deputies released him photographs the victim’s truck along with a Yeti cooler and an ax. After the arrest, the suspect led the police to evidence “found in previous press releases.”

Kiersem’s sister, Gillian Price, told a news conference that her brother was a hard-working and skilled tradesman who built and remodeled homes.

“We lost our brother, our son, our uncle, our best friend in the most incredible way,” she said. “He was a loving, supportive and nurturing father who in no way deserved this.”

David Harris contributed to this report.