Beer that tourist offered to suspect before he was killed led to arrest, sheriff says

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — A 41-year-old Montana man was charged with murder Friday in a brutal killing at a remote campsite that was initially reported as a possible bear attack by people who found the victim’s body.

The suspect allegedly told authorities he arrived at the camp northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on Oct. 10, intending to stay overnight, only to discover 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem living there.

Kjersem, who did not know the suspect, greeted him at the campsite and offered him a beer, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said.

Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead on October 12 in his tent at a campground in Montana. Authorities... — Dustin Kjersem, 35, was found dead on October 12 in his tent at a campground in Montana. Authorities say he was “brutally attacked.”(Source: Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office)

However, a short time later, the suspect, motivated by an unknown motive, hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and hit him with an axe, Springer said.

The victim’s girlfriend and another friend found his body on Oct. 12 and reported it as a possible bear attack. The case became a homicide investigation after wildlife agents found no sign of a bear in the area.

After DNA found on a beer can from the camp matched the suspect’s, he was tracked down and arrested in Butte, Montana, this week, Springer said.

He was being held on $1.5 million bail, according to sheriff’s department records.

Beer that tourist offered to suspect before he was killed led to arrest, sheriff says

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