Aiexpress – A former wrestling teammate has been arrested in the death of Josiah Kilman, a Kentucky college student who was discovered dead in his Campbellsville University dorm room over the weekend, according to authorities.
The Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Charles Escalera, 21, physically strangled the 18-year-old to cause asphyxia, which resulted in his death.
According to Campbellsville police, the motivation for the crime is yet unknown, but the investigation is ongoing.
Kilman, a Montana freshman, was found unresponsive early Saturday morning at school. According to a university statement, he was taken to Taylor Regional Hospital and later pronounced deceased.
“The loss of a member of our family saddens Campbellsville University. Campbellsville University President Joseph Hopkins stated, “We have lost a student, and our hearts are broken.”
Kilman wrestled for the private Christian university, which is located 84 miles southeast of Louisville and 83 miles southwest of Lexington.
His family made a statement describing him as “an avid athlete and faithful religious leader.” They claimed he was attending the institution on a Biblical scholarship.
Escalera was a former team member who last competed during the 2021–22 academic year. He is currently being held in the Taylor County Detention Center and is charged with murder and burglary.
Kilman’s death is the third murder of a college student in the last month.
Laken Riley, 22, was discovered dead last week after going on a run on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. Jose Antonio Ibarra, who did not attend the school, has been charged with malice and felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, obstructing a 911 call, and concealing the death.
Earlier this month, a student and a visitor were found shot to death in a dorm room on the University of Colorado’s Colorado Springs campus. Police in Colorado Springs discovered the bodies of Samuel Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery on February 16. Nicholas Jordan, 25, Knopp’s roommate, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
On Monday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged the restoration of the “feeling of security and safety” that we “ought to be able to wake up with every day.”
“I can’t imagine being a parent and sending your child to college only to discover that you’ve lost them,” Beshear told reporters. “It is tragic when we lose any of our young people, especially to violence.”
