Montana man gets 100 years in prison for campground slaying

BOZEMAN, Mont. (TCN) -- A man has been sentenced to 100 years in state prison for deliberate homicide and two counts of evidence tampering. He will not be eligible for parole for 80 years.

NBC Montana reports that in November 2025, a jury found Daren Christopher Abbey guilty of the October 2024 killing of Dustin Kjersem at a campsite in Big Sky, Montana. When Abbey arrived at the campground, he found the spot he had planned to use was already occupied by Kjersem. Kjersem was reportedly welcoming and invited Abbey to share a beer. 

After the two men had drinks in Kjersem’s tent, Abbey attacked Kjersem with a block of wood, an ax, and a screwdriver before fleeing with Kjersem’s firearms, cooler, and cellphone. The injuries were so extensive that the killing was initially reported as a bear attack. 

According to NBC, Abbey claimed self-defense at trial, but that claim was rejected. 

According to Law & Crime, the evening Kjersem and Abbey spent together took a turn when Abbey’s dog reportedly got paw prints on Kjersem’s air mattress. Abbey then reportedly went to a stream to wet a T-shirt to clean the mattress. When he returned, he said Kjersem threatened to shoot both him and his dog. A physical fight began, then Abbey hit Kjersem with a block of wood, stabbed him with a screwdriver, and hit his face with the blunt side of an ax, killing him. 

KBZK reports eight of Kjersem’s loved ones gave victim impact statements at the sentencing. His girlfriend, who found him dead in the tent, said, “Seeing firsthand what happened to him was my undoing — my heart was broken. My sense of safety evaporated. My world changed in that horrifying moment.”

According to NBC, Abbey asked for leniency and asked Kjersem’s loved ones to “find it in your hearts to forgive me, if not today then in time.”

After the sentencing, NBC reports that Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell said, “Some people are meant to be separated from society. Darren Abbey is one of them. The violence he inflicted, his actions afterward, and the lifelong harm he caused demonstrate that he can never safely be allowed back into our community.”

Montana Right Now reports the judge noted the brutality of the crime and how the use of multiple weapons to kill Kjersem conflicted with Abbey’s self-defense claim. Kjersem also reportedly had no self-defense wounds.

After the sentencing, KBZK reports Abbey said he plans to appeal. He said, “Well, I’ll be appealing your crooked-ass court system.” 

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