Montana man charged with murder in brutal camp slaying

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

The suspect reportedly told authorities he arrived at the campground northeast of Big Sky, Montana on Oct. 10, intending to stay overnight, but found it 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.

But some time later, the suspect, driven by an unknown motive, hit Kjersem with a piece of wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver and hit him with a hatchet, Springer said.

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

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

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