Montana murder suspect arrested in Bayview in 2011

A man accused of a recent murder in Montana has been arrested and sentenced for an incident that occurred in the Bayview more than 13 years ago.

Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, of Basin, Mont., was arrested Thursday in the death of 35-year-old Dustin Mitchell Kjersem of Belgrade, according to News Nation.

Kjersem was found in his tent at a remote campground in Montana on Oct. 12 with wounds so extensive on his skull and body that they were initially reported as a possible bear injury.

“Investigators described the situation as a ‘chance encounter’ and said Abbey returned to the scene the next day to dispose of evidence,” News Nation reported.

In 2011, Abbey pleaded guilty in Kootenai County court to malicious harassment, a felony. Abbey was charged with a hate crime after he told a Black man at a bar on July 3 that Black people didn’t belong in the Bayview and “better leave before something happens,” according to police.

Police said after the man left the bar to avoid a fight, Abbey followed him outside, yelled racial slurs and threatened to stab him. The man punched Abbey in the face, knocking him out with one blow.

“Abbey, who suffered facial fractures, told deputies he thought he had been hit with a brick, but witnesses confirmed it was a single punch to the head in self-defense,” according to a Southern report. Poverty Law Center.

Abbey, a self-described “skinhead”, was sentenced to five years in prison for the hate crime and was eligible for parole after three years.

Kjersem arrived in Mont., Mont., on Oct. 10, planning to meet a friend the next day, the Associated Press reported. Went camping northeast of Big Sky.

His friend found the body on October 26. Capt. Nate Kamerman of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office said another person, identified only as a “partner,” called 911 and reported a possible bear attack.

It is unknown when he died.

The campsite in the Moose Creek area at the foot of the Gallatin Mountains was not an established campground, the AP reported.

In connection with Kjersem’s death, Abbey is charged with premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence of a crime, News Nation reported.

He admitted to the act during interviews with police Thursday, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said. Abbey remained in custody without bail Friday at the Gallatin County Jail, according to News Nation, booking records show.

“This appears to be a heinous crime committed by an individual who had no respect for the life of Dustin Kjersem,” Springer said.