Tragedy fell upon a Montana man who was brutally murdered while camping. While things of this nature can remain a mystery for a long time, sometimes even forever, a break in the case came from an unlikely source: a beer can.
Investigators were at a loss for what was behind this brutal killing. A bear attack was believed to be the cause until a beer can was found at the campsite. It turns out, before Dustin Kjersem was violently struck, he shared a drink with his eventual murderer.
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That beer ended up containing DNA that led to the arrest and an eventual confession. The police identified Daren Christopher Abbey as the suspect. The 41-year-old faces a charge of deliberate homicide along with tampering with evidence after allegedly cleaning up the campsite.
Besides the overlooked beer can, however.
There remains no motive discovered behind the slaying but Abbey is no stranger to the law. NPR reports he has “four or more arrests for DUI,” which raises the charges to a felony level.
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said in a press conference that “there does not appear to be any connection between our victim and our suspect.”
“This appears to be a heinous crime committed by an individual who had no regard for the life of Dustin Kjersem,” he added.
The victim, who was 35, was camping about 35 miles south of Bozeman, which is among the most populous in the Big Sky state. The trip was supposed to be with his girlfriend for the weekend; however, his girlfriend wasn’t going to come until later on in the weekend, which is how his body was eventually discovered. He was supposed to pick her up, but never did, so she and a friend eventually drove to the site.
This is all an extremely sad story. Thankfully, the most unlikely piece of evidence was found in that beer can and justice can be served.
