A Kentucky college wrestler was strangled to death in his dorm room this weekend, prompting an hours-long manhunt, a campus-wide lockdown and another wrestler being arrested on suspicion of murder.
Around 12:43 a.m. Saturday, police were called to Campbellsville University where 18-year-old Josiah Kilman was found unresponsive.
The Campbellsville Police Department said in a press release Monday that the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the student’s cause of death was asphyxia due to manual strangulation.
Shortly after Killman’s body was discovered, an arrest warrant was issued for 21-year-old Charles Escalera, and police distributed security images from a nearby Lowe’s store where Killman was last seen. Escalera and Killman were both students at Campbellsville.
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Charles Escalera, 21, was found hiding in a barn by Kentucky State Police after a warrant was issued for his arrest in the death of Josiah Kilman, 18. (Taylor County Jail)
Campbellsville University, a private Christian school about 135 miles south of Louisville, was placed on lockdown and students were ordered to “shelter in place.”
The university announced on Twitter that the lockdown had been lifted and that Escalera had been arrested at 6:43 p.m.
According to a media release, Kentucky State Police made the arrest around 5:15 p.m. after receiving a report of a “suspicious male in a barn.”
Escalera is being held in the Taylor County Detention Center without bail. It was unclear at press time whether he had retained a lawyer.
“At this time, a motive for the crime has not yet been determined,” Campbellsville Police Chief Shannon Wilson said in a department release. “However, the case is still ongoing.”
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Police distributed surveillance footage of the Campbellsville Lowe’s, where Escalera was last seen, on Saturday. (Campbellsville Police Department)
Killman, a Montana native, was listed online on the university’s 2023-2024 wrestling team roster. Escalera was on the team during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the school’s sports website, and won a state title in the 106-pound wrestling class in 2017, according to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
It is unclear whether the two students knew each other. The Taylor County Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment at press time.
It’s unclear whether Charles Escalera, 21, knew Josiah Kilman before he allegedly strangled him to death. (Campbellsville Police Department)
After Escalera’s arrest, police urged students at the university to “stay safe.” [their] Securing housing, securing vehicles, and raising awareness [their] According to X’s account, the school hosted a prayer and healing service on Sunday.
“Josiah’s teammates are understandably devastated,” university president Joseph Hopkins said at an event Sunday, according to LEX18. “It’s a strong team. They have a very strong bond with each other.” [and] in the bond of their faith. ”
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A GoFundMe set up by Kilman’s family to cover burial costs and transport his body to Montana has raised more than $54,000.
