Man accused of stabbing with screwdriver pleads not guilty

Inset: Dustin Kjersem (Gallatin Sheriff’s Office). Background: Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, appears in District Court on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 in Bozeman, Montana. (Lorenz Busch/Bozeman Daily Chronicle via AP)

A man accused of killing a tourist who invited him to his tent for a beer at Montana the wilderness demanded self-defense.

Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, pleaded not guilty this week to malicious intent. murder charge along with two counts of tampering with evidence in the death of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersema.

“I definitely do not plead guilty. Dustin Kjersem tried to kill me,” Abby said in court. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports..

Like law and crime previously reportedAbby confessed to detectives about killing Kjersem, who was camping in the Moose Creek Canyon area on Oct. 10. Kjersem planned to pick up his girlfriend the next day to spend the weekend camping. He set up a walled tent with beds, a wood 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 also setting up camp.

“When he approached the scene, he realized that someone had stopped there. He stated that Dustin greeted him at the campsite and offered him a beer,” Springer said. “At some point, this individual struck Dustin Kjersem with a piece of hard wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver, and ultimately hit him with an axe.”

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

But there was one item Abby didn’t put away: the can of beer he was drinking from, Springer said. Detectives turned the jar over to the Montana State Police Crime Lab. On October 25, DNA was found in Abbey. The next day, police took Abby into custody in the Butte area.

“This murder appears to be a random encounter,” Springer said. “There appears to be no connection between our victim and the suspect.”

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

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

They found a dead man’s tent shortly after 10 a.m. Oct. 12, about 2.5 miles up Moose Creek Road. They looked inside and found his mutilated body, Springer said. The caller reported that Kjersem may have been the victim of a bear attack.

But when a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks agent investigated, he didn’t notice any bear activity around the scene. Detectives determined that Kjersem died from “slash wounds” and was the victim of homicide, Springer told reporters. Although the area is remote, it is popular with tourists and vacationers, authorities said.

While investigators searched for the suspect, deputies released photos the victim’s truck, as well as a Yeti refrigerator and an axe. After his arrest, the suspect led officers to evidence “identified in previous press releases.”

Kjersema’s sister Jillian Price said at a news conference that her brother was a hard-working and skilled craftsman who built and remodeled homes.

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

David Harris contributed to this report.