Camping murder suspect claimed dog led to tent killing: docs

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The man accused of brutally killing Dustin Kjersem during a Montana camping trip told police that having beers together spiraled into a vicious killing after his dog jumped on Kjersem's air mattress, according to new court records obtained by Fox News Digital.

The latest records detail Daren Christopher Abbey's version of events from before, during and after the homicide, which he provided to authorities during his confession.

Abbey, 41, is accused of killing Kjersem, a 35-year-old father and avid outdoorsman who was found bludgeoned in his tent near Big Sky in October.

Abbey told police he had gone to Moose Creek to look for a place to camp on the night of the homicide, Oct. 10, and he saw Kjsersem with a wall tent set up. Kjersem arrived in the Moose Creek area that day and set up camp, including "a wall tent complete with wood stove, beds, lamps and multiple other items," Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer previously said. 

CAMPING MURDER SUSPECT CLAIMED SELF-DEFENSE THOUGH VICTIM OFFERED HIM BEER

Dustin Kjersem was found dead in his tent while camping in Montana. Police described it as a "vicious attack." (Gallatin County Sheriff's Office)

Abbey said he and Kjersem began talking over a few beers. 

Abbey said that at one point, his dog jumped onto Kjersem's air mattress, leaving muddy paw prints all over it. He told police that he apologized to Kjersem and took a T-shirt to the creek, got it wet and then cleaned the paw prints off the mattress. 

The suspect claimed that "Kjersem stated he was going to shoot his dog and then was going to kill him," according to court documents. Abbey claimed Kjersem came at him, so he "tangled" with him.

Abbey told police that he killed Kjersem in "self-defense." However, the lack of defensive injuries on Abbey was not consistent with self-defense, the documents add. 

BEER CAN USED TO TRACK SUSPECT IN DAD’S CAMPING TRIP MURDER: POLICE

Porch view of the popular Big Sky Resort in Montana, where homicide suspect Daren Abbey allegedly made employees feel "uncomfortable." (Laura D. Rogers/Shutterstock)

Abbey allegedly "hit the victim on the head with a piece of firewood, stabbed the victim in the neck with a screwdriver, and hit the victim on the face with the blunt side of the axe," according to prior charging documents. 

Abbey told police he struck Kjersem three times with the block of wood, but Kjersem kept coming at him, the new documents show. 

Law enforcement noted that when describing the details of the attack, Abbey made no reference to using an ax against Kjersem. After revealing that the injuries on Kjersem's body did not match up to what he was saying, Abbey admitted he hit Kjersem once with the ax but that the victim was still fighting and moving.

Abbey claimed that he then stabbed Kjersem with a screwdriver he noticed on the ground, and the fight ended. Abbey also allegedly gave police two conflicting answers for where the ax was located when he grabbed it. 

In his confession, Abbey said he washed the ax and screwdriver in a creek, court records show. He also admitted to taking two cellphones that belonged to Kjersem, along with his ax, adding that he wiped the phones because he was worried his fingerprints may be on them. 

He told authorities that he returned to the crime scene the day after the killing to retrieve his beanie he left behind and make sure there "were no loose ends." When he returned to the scene, he reentered Kjersem's tent and said that the victim's body was in the same position as the night before.

"This is the behavior of a guilty subject who thought they could get away with murder," Springer previously said. 

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Daren Christopher Abbey has been charged with the killing of Montana dad Dustin Kjersem. (Montana Department of Corrections)

During a press conference, Springer described the homicide as a "chance encounter." 

When Abbey arrived in the area, he reportedly made employees at a popular Montana skiing resort and local restaurant feel "uncomfortable," according to the new court records. 

During their investigation, authorities received a report about a "white skinhead dude," who they later identified as Abbey, making employees at the popular Big Sky Resort and a nearby restaurant feel "uncomfortable" for talking about his past prison time and making "white supremacist comments," according to the court records.  

A customer at the same restaurant told investigators that he heard this man, who called himself Daren, saying he was staying in the Moose Creek area for several days. The customer told authorities his conversation with Abbey took place several days before Kjersem's body was discovered.

Staff at the Big Sky Resort said the last time Abbey was seen in town was on Oct. 12, which was the same day the victim's remains were found, the documents say. 

Abbey has tattoos all over his body, including an "iron cross w/ swastika" and another "swastika, SS lightning bolts," symbols used by Germany’s Nazi Party, according to his profile on the Montana Department of Correction website. 

SUSPECT IN CAMPING TRIP MURDER IDENTIFIED AFTER DAD FOUND BUTCHERED IN TENT

Prior to Daren Abbey's arrest, authorities asked for the public to help locate an ax that was missing from the crime scene. (Gallatin County Sheriff's Office)

Kjersem's camping plans

Kjersem's girlfriend told police that prior to the homicide, she and Kjersem had been patching up the wall tent in anticipation of going camping, new documents show. She said Kjersem was supposed to pick her up on Friday afternoon, Oct. 11, after she finished work. 

She told police she did not hear anything from Kjersem throughout the day that Friday, but she was also aware he did not have cell service at the campsite. When Kjersem did not pick her up or contact her by Friday evening, she got worried and went to search for him with a friend on Saturday morning, Oct. 12. 

At the campsite, she discovered him deceased in the tent. She said when she went to touch Kjersem, he was "stiff and cold," according to documents. 

It was initially believed that Kjersem had suffered from a bear attack, until authorities determined it was a homicide. 

Kjersem's girlfriend said the last time she had heard from him was through text around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, when he informed her that he was leaving a gas station and was headed up Moose Creek.

CRIME SCENE CLUE COULD HELP SOLVE YOUNG DAD'S CAMPING TRIP MURDER AS KILLER REMAINS ON THE LOOSE

Lone Peak and Moonlight Basin Ski Resorts near Big Sky, Montana. (TMI / Alamy Stock Photo)

In talking with law enforcement, she discussed Kjersem’s relationships, including family and ex-girlfriends, and said that she was not aware of any enemies he had. When asked if anyone was angry with Kjersem, she responded, "Not that I know of. He's not the type of person that gets into confrontations from what I've experienced."

"I will probably never be able to express the amount of gratitude I have for all the people who worked tirelessly on this case," Kjersem's sister, Jillian Price, previously told Fox News Digital. "I know so many experts put in long hours, determined to find who was responsible."

Price said that her brother has a daughter and a stepson. He also has three older sisters who "adored him," according to an online obituary. 

"He was born in Montana, raised in Montana. All of us, we loved the outdoors more than anything," Price said. "You know, his life fishing, snowboarding, camping. He was well-prepared. He knew what he was doing. He's been out there by himself. I mean, so many times. So many times."

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Dustin Kjersem and his daughter. He was killed while camping near Big Sky, Montana. (GoFundMe)

Abbey was charged with one count of deliberate homicide and two counts of tampering with evidence, records show. The Gallatin County Attorney's Office does not intend on pursuing the death penalty, the County Attorney's Office confirmed. 

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Abbey was charged in 2018 and 2020 with two separate driving under the influence offenses, according to his profile on the Montana Department of Correction website. He was previously convicted of malicious harassment after he was beaten up by a man he was harassing in North Idaho, according to a 2012 Spokesman-Review report.

It was not immediately clear whether Abbey retained an attorney. His next court appearance will be an arraignment, which has yet to be scheduled.