Abbey found guilty in brutal death at Big Sky campground

BOZEMAN — Darren Abbey, the man accused of brutally murdering a Belgrade man in October 2024 at a Big Sky area campsite.

On Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, shortly before 3 p.m., the verdict of guilty on the charge of deliberate homicide, and two charges of tampering with evidence was delivered.

In October of 2024, Dustin Kjersem of Belgrade was viciously murdered at a Moose Creek campsite near Big Sky. Now, his alleged killer, Darren Abbey, is on trial for deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

According to charging documents, Kjersem arrived in the Moose Creek area on October 10 th , 2024, to set up camp and planned to return to town the next day to pick up his girlfriend. Kjersem’s girlfriend became concerned when he didn’t pick her up the next day, leading her and a friend to dri