Beer offered by camper to suspect before his murder leads to arrest, sheriff says

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

The suspect allegedly told authorities that he arrived at the campground northeast of Big Sky, Montana, on October 10 with the intention of staying overnight, but that it was occupied by 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem.

Kjersem, who did not know the suspect, welcomed him to the campsite and offered him a beer, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.

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

But some time later, driven by an unknown motive, the suspect struck 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 October 12 and reported it as a possible bear attack. It became a homicide investigation after wildlife officers found no sign of a bear in the area.

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

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