A man from Montana He was found murdered in his tent earlier this month The Gallatin County sheriff said Thursday that he greeted the alleged stranger at the campsite and offered him a beer.

Daren Christopher Monastery, 41, was arrested this week He has been charged with premeditated murder in the killing of 35-year-old Dustin Kjersem, whose body was found in his tent near Big Sky on Oct. 12, authorities said.

Sheriff Dan Springer said at a news conference that it was a “chance encounter” at the campground the night of Oct. 10 and that Abbey did not know Kjersem.

Springer said Abbey planned to camp in the area, but when he arrived that night he found Kjersem already there with the wall tent, beds and a stove.

In Abbey’s confession to detectives, “she stated that Dustin invited her to the campsite and offered her a beer,” Springer said.

“At some point this individual struck Dustin Kjersem with a piece of solid wood, stabbed him in the neck with a screwdriver, and finally struck him with an axe,” Springer said. “The reason for this attack is not yet known.”

DNA from a beer can found in the tent was matched to Abbey by the state crime lab, Springer said.

Abbey was arrested Saturday in Butte, about 80 miles southwest of Big Sky. Springer said he was questioned Tuesday by sheriff’s detectives and Montana Department of Justice investigators and confessed to the killing.

Kjersem planned to spend the weekend at the campground with his girlfriend. Springer said he set up camp on Thursday, Oct. 10, and planned to pick up his girlfriend from work the next night.

Kjersem never came. Springer said his girlfriend and a friend went to the campsite on Saturday, Oct. 12, and found Kjersem dead inside the tent.

The sheriff’s office said Kjersem’s injuries were such that the person who reported the discovery of the body said it might have been an attack by a bear. An autopsy confirmed that the incident was murder and not an animal attack.

Springer said Abbey has lived in several different areas but recently took up residence in Basin, Montana, a small community in the mountains northeast of Butte. The sheriff said he worked in the Big Sky area at various times.

The sheriff’s office said Abbey was arrested in Butte for a parole violation but was charged with premeditated murder in Kjersem’s death.

Montana Department of Corrections records show that Abbey was paroled after being sentenced to prison in 2020 for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Jail records show Abbey was being held without bond Thursday night. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

The investigation could take months more. Springer said detectives will work to piece together more pieces about what happened, including why Abbey allegedly killed Kjersem.

“We have some of his story, but we don’t really know what the real story is,” Springer said. “We have a story, but we don’t know if it’s true.”

After killing Kjersem, Springer said, Abbey removed items he may have touched or that could link him to the crime, including a cooler and an axe. The sheriff said he returned the next night and took more items.

The sheriff’s office previously said an axe, a Yeti cooler, a shotgun and a handgun were missing from the campground.