A Montana jury has found Daren Christopher Abbey guilty of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence after he tried to convince investigators that the brutal killing of a campsite acquaintance was actually a bear attack.
This tragic story centers on the murder of Dustin Kjersem, who was killed at his campsite near Big Sky, Montana, in October 2024. Abbey and Kjersem had met up at the remote location, and what followed was a vicious attack. When Kjersem’s girlfriend and a friend later discovered his body, they initially reported the scene to authorities as a possible bear mauling.
