A Montana man has been arrested in connection with a killing mistakenly attributed to a bear attack

Sheriff Dan Springer said Mr. Kiersem welcomed his killer to his camp, about 35 miles (56 km) south of Bozeman.

At one point, prosecutors say, Mr. Abbey hit Mr. Kiersem with a piece of wood, then hit him with a screwdriver and attacked him with an axe.

Later, the suspect allegedly returned to the crime scene to retrieve items from the camp that he believed could tie him to the murder, but missed the beer can.

He confessed to the killing, telling police he attacked his victim after he found her at the site where he planned to set up camp, officials said.

Police say Mr. Abbey led them to several items he stole from the campsite, including an axe, guns and a cooler.

“This appears to be a horrific crime committed by an individual who had no respect for the life of Dustin Kiersem,” said Sheriff Springer.

“We have some of his story, but … we don’t really know what the real story is,” Springer said.

Mr Abbey was ordered held on $1.5m (£1.2m) bail during his court appearance on Friday.