Daren Christopher Abbey was convicted of murder after brutally killing Dustin Kjersem at his campsite in October 2024, but Abbey initially claimed a bear was responsible for the grisly crime scene
An American man with ties to white supremacist groups has been convicted of a murder so horrific it was initially mistaken for a bear attack.
Daren Christopher Abbey was found guilty of savagely killing Dustin Kjersem using an axe, a block of wood and a screwdriver in October 2024. The two had met at Dustin’s campsite near Big Sky, Montana, where Dustin’s girlfriend and a friend later discovered his body.
Initially, they reported the gruesome scene to authorities as a possible bear attack, but this theory was dismissed after wildlife agents found no evidence of animal activity in the area. Abbey was eventually connected to the crime scene when his DNA was discovered on a beer can inside Dustin’s tent.
According to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer, Abbey told authorities he arrived at the campsite intending to stay overnight and was welcomed by Dustin, who didn’t know him. He initially claimed he killed Dustin in self-defence after being attacked, but prosecutors were sceptical of his account, highlighting numerous inconsistencies and the multiple chop wounds Dustin sustained in the attack.
Abbey later confessed to stealing Kjersem’s cooler, firearms and mobile phones, as well as hiding evidence following the murder. After a six-day trial, Abbey was found guilty of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence, reports the Mirror.
He chose not to testify in his own defence.
These charges carry the potential of a death sentence in Montana but, but prosecutors will not seek capital punishment in this case, Jack Veil with the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office told the AP.
Abbey’s defence solicitor, Sarah Kottke, said her client will decide whether to appeal the conviction once he is sentenced on December 30.
Kottke said: “This was a tough case and asserting an affirmative defence comes with multiple hurdles, especially when it happens in such a remote area with no witnesses to the events that took place.”
Abbey was previously linked to a white supremacist group, according to an inmate information document from Gallatin County. State Department of Corrections records also revealed he had tattoos of a swastika and an iron cross.
Dustin had two children and worked as a self-employed contractor, building homes and learning other trades, according to his sister.
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