The camping murder suspect claimed that the dog led to the tent killing, according to documents.

According to new court records, the man accused of brutally killing Dustin Kjersem during a Montana camping trip claimed that their drinking of beers together led to a vicious killing after his dog jumped on Kjersem's air mattress, Planet Chronicle Digital reports.

Daren Christopher Abbey's confession to authorities includes a detailed account of the events leading up to, during, and following the homicide, as recorded in the latest documents.

In October, Kjersem, a 35-year-old father and avid outdoorsman, was found bludgeoned in his tent near Big Sky, and Abbey, 41, is accused of the murder.

On the night of the homicide on Oct. 10, Abbey went to Moose Creek to search for a place to camp and saw Kjersem with a wall tent set up. Kjersem had arrived in the Moose Creek area that day and had set up camp, including a wall tent with a wood stove, beds, lamps, and other items, as previously stated by Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer.

Abbey said he and Kjersem began talking over a few beers.

At one point, Abbey's dog jumped onto Kjersem's air mattress, leaving muddy paw prints all over it. Abbey apologized to Kjersem and took a T-shirt to the creek, got it wet and then cleaned the paw prints off the mattress.

According to court documents, the suspect stated that Kjersem declared he intended to shoot his dog and then kill him. Meanwhile, Abbey claimed that Kjersem attacked him, prompting him to "entangle" with him.

Abbey claimed he killed Kjersem in self-defense, but the absence of defensive injuries on him did not align with this claim, according to the documents.

According to prior charging documents, Abbey allegedly struck the victim on the head with a piece of firewood, stabbed the victim in the neck with a screwdriver, and hit the victim on the face with the blunt side of an axe.

According to new documents, Abbey admitted to striking Kjersem three times with a block of wood, but Kjersem continued to advance towards him.

Abbey admitted to hitting Kjersem once with an ax, but the victim was still fighting and moving.

Abbey allegedly stabbed Kjersem with a screwdriver he found on the ground, and the fight ended. Additionally, Abbey is accused of giving police two conflicting answers about the location of the ax when he seized it.

Abbey confessed to washing the ax and screwdriver in a creek and taking two cellphones belonging to Kjersem, along with his ax. He also admitted to wiping the phones because he was concerned about his fingerprints being on them, according to court records.

The day after the murder, he went back to the crime scene to retrieve his beanie and ensure there were no loose ends. Upon his return, he reentered Kjersem's tent and stated that the body was in the same position as the previous night.

Springer previously stated that this behavior is typical of a guilty person who believed they could evade detection for murder.

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At a press conference, Springer characterized the murder as a "random encounter."

According to new court records, Abbey made employees at a popular Montana skiing resort and local restaurant feel "uncomfortable" when he arrived in the area.

According to court records, authorities were informed of a "white skinhead dude" named Abbey during their investigation, who made employees at Big Sky Resort and a nearby restaurant feel "uncomfortable" due to his past prison time and "white supremacist comments."

An individual at the same restaurant informed investigators that he overheard a man named Daren stating he planned to remain in the Moose Creek region for several days. The customer disclosed that his discussion with Abbey occurred several days prior to Kjersem's body being discovered.

The documents indicate that the last time Abbey was seen in town was on Oct. 12, which was also the day her remains were discovered, according to staff at the Big Sky Resort.

According to his profile on the Montana Department of Correction website, Abbey has tattoos all over his body, including an "iron cross w/ swastika" and another "swastika, SS lightning bolts," symbols used by Germany's Nazi Party.

Kjersem's camping plans

Kjersem's girlfriend informed the police that she and he were preparing their wall tent for camping before the murder, according to new documents. She stated that Kjersem was supposed to pick her up on Friday afternoon, October 11, following her work.

On Friday, October 12th, she informed the police that she did not receive any communication from Kjersem throughout the day, despite being aware that he did not have cell service at the campsite. When he failed to pick her up or contact her by evening, she became concerned and searched for him with a friend on Saturday morning.

She found him dead in the tent at the campsite. According to documents, when she tried to touch Kjersem, he was "stiff and cold."

Initially, it was thought that Kjersem's injuries were caused by a bear attack, but later it was discovered that they were the result of a homicide.

Kjersem's girlfriend last heard from him through text at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 10, when he was leaving a gas station and heading up Moose Creek.

She disclosed to law enforcement about Kjersem's relationships, including family and ex-girlfriends, and stated that she was unaware of any enemies he had. When questioned about anyone being angry with Kjersem, she replied, "I don't believe so. Based on my experience, he's not the type of person who gets into confrontations."

"Jillian Price, Kjersem's sister, previously stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that she would likely never be able to adequately express her gratitude for all the individuals who devoted themselves to resolving the case. She acknowledged the significant efforts of numerous experts who worked diligently to determine responsibility."

According to an online obituary, her brother has a daughter and a stepson, and he was adored by three older sisters.

"He was born and raised in Montana, and we all shared a love for the outdoors. Price spoke about his life, which included fishing, snowboarding, and camping. He was well-prepared and knew what he was doing. He had spent countless times outdoors on his own."

The Gallatin County Attorney's Office has confirmed that they will not seek the death penalty for Abbey, who was charged with one count of deliberate homicide and two counts of tampering with evidence, records show.

In 2018 and 2020, Abbey was charged with two separate driving under the influence offenses, as stated on his profile on the Montana Department of Correction website. Prior to this, he was convicted of malicious harassment in 2012 after being beaten up by a man he was harassing in North Idaho, according to a Spokesman-Review report from that year.

Whether Abbey retained an attorney is not immediately clear. His next court appearance is an arraignment, which has not yet been scheduled.