Beer offered to suspect by camper before killing him leads to arrest, sheriff says

Bozeman, Mont. (AP) – A 41-year-old Montana man was charged Friday in a killing at a remote campsite that people who found the victim’s body initially reported as a possible bear mauling.

The suspect allegedly told authorities he arrived at a campground northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on Oct. 10 intending to stay the night, only to find 35-year-old Dustin Kiersem occupying it.

According to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer, Kjersem, who did not know the suspect, greeted him at the campsite and offered him a beer.

Dustin Kiersem, 35, was found dead on October 12 in his tent at a Montana campground. Power... — Dustin Kiersem, 35, was found dead on October 12 in his tent at a Montana campground. Authorities say he was “brutally attacked.”(Source: Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office)

But a short time later, the suspect, for an unknown reason, hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, hit him in the neck with a screwdriver and hit him with an ax, Springer said.

The deceased’s girlfriend and another friend found his body on October 12 and reported a possible bear attack. It became a homicide investigation after wildlife agents found no sign of a bear in the area.

After DNA found on a beer can from the campsite was matched to the suspect’s, he was tracked down and arrested this week in Butte, Montana, Springer said.

He was being held on $1.5 million bail, according to the sheriff’s department.