A man accused of murdering a Montana father and passionate outdoorsman entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday, following an alleged assertion of self-defense during his confession to police.
Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, pleaded not guilty to charges of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence in the death of camper Dustin Kjersem, 35, in Big Sky, Montana, last October. Abbey claims he acted in self-defense.
On Tuesday, Abbey appeared in court and maintained his not guilty plea while asserting self-defense in his confession regarding the “heinous” murder, according to Fox News Digital. The outlet confirmed with the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office and Abbey’s defense team that he did indeed claim self-defense.
USNew.com reports that Abbey told District Court Judge Peter Ohman, “I definitely plead not guilty. Dustin Kjersem tried to kill me.” However, court documents noted that the absence of defensive injuries on Abbey was not consistent with a self-defense claim.
Abbey alleged that “Kjersem stated he was going to shoot his dog and then was going to kill him,” according to court documents. The two men reportedly engaged in a struggle when Kjersem allegedly confronted Abbey, as stated by Fox News Digital.
As CrimeOnline originally reported, Kjersem traveled to Gallatin County on October 10 to set up camp, planning to return to town the following day to pick up his girlfriend after work so they could spend the weekend camping. When he did not arrive on Friday, his girlfriend became worried, and she and a friend drove to the campsite on Saturday morning, where they found Kjersem dead.
Sheriff Dan Springer stated that Abbey ultimately confessed to the murder. Abbey claimed he had planned to camp at the same site but found Kjersem already there. He said Kjersem “welcomed” him and even offered him a beer.
Kjersem was found fatally beaten and stabbed in his tent. “At some point, this individual struck Dustin Kjersem with a piece of solid wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver, and ultimately hit him with an axe,” Sheriff Springer said.
The sheriff added that Abbey took items from the campsite that he had touched and then returned on Friday to take more items. “This is the behavior of a guilty subject who thought they could get away with murder,” Springer stated.
According to court documents, Abbey washed the axe and screwdriver in the creek. He returned to the campsite to retrieve a beanie he had left behind, attempting to ensure there were “no loose ends,” according to Fox News Digital.
A bond hearing has been scheduled for a later date, according to Fox News Digital.
[Feature Photo:: Daren Christopher Abbey/Montana Department of Corrections]
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Author: Shanon Quaranta, Contributor
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