College wrestler charged with murder in strangulation death of fellow athlete – Law Officer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – A college wrestler at a private Christian university in Kentucky was strangled and killed in his dorm room last Saturday, prompting a manhunt lasting several hours that led to a campus-wide lockdown before another wrestler was taken into custody on murder charges.

Law enforcement authorities were dispatched to Campbellsville University around 12:43 a.m. when 18-year-old Josiah Kilman was found unresponsive. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, the Associated Press reported.

Kilman was a freshman theology major and wrestling team member from Columbia Falls, Montana, the university said.

Shortly after the crime was discovered and Kilman was pronounced dead, an arrest warrant was issued for 21-year-old Charles Escalera, who was also a student at the University and had been on the wrestling team, according to reports.

According to the Campbellsville Police Department, an arrest warrant has been issued for Charles E. Escalera in connection with the death of a Campbellsville University student earlier today. Charles Escalera is a 21-year-old University student, and he remains at large. pic.twitter.com/ToPnzHu1ej

— Campbellsville University (@CampbellsvilleU) February 24, 2024

Campbellsville University is located about 85 miles south of Louisville. The campus was placed on lockdown with students ordered to “shelter in place,” following the homicide. 

Late Saturday afternoon, a farmer saw Escalera in his barn on the border of Taylor and Green counties. The Kentucky State Police responded and arrested him without incident, Campbellsville Police told Fox News Digital. 

A short time later, the university announced that the lockdown was lifted once the suspect had been captured.

CU Alerts: ALL CLEAR. Charles Escalera has been arrested by police. As a result, the University is lifting the lockdown directive.

— Campbellsville University (@CampbellsvilleU) February 24, 2024

Escalera was booked at the Taylor County Detention Center. He was charged with murder and second-degree burglary. His bond was set at $2 million, according to court records.

“A motive for the crime is still undetermined at this time,” Campbellsville Police Chief Shannon Wilson wrote in the department’s release. “However, the case is still ongoing.”

Police distributed surveillance footage from a Campbellsville Lowe’s where Escalera was last seen on Saturday. (Campbellsville Police Department)

The Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Kilman’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to manual strangulation, the Campbellsville Police Department disclosed in a news release on Monday.

Kilman was listed on the university’s 2023-2024 wrestling team roster online. Escalera was on the team during the 2021-2022 school year, according to the school’s athletic website, Fox reported.

Escalera is a sophomore pre-engineering major originally from Moore, Oklahoma. It is unclear whether the two students knew each other.

After Escalera’s arrest, police urged students at the college to “secure [their] residences, secure vehicles, and increase awareness of [their] surroundings,” in another release. The school hosted a prayer and healing service on Sunday, according to its account on X.

“Josiah’s teammates are understandably devastated,” University President Joseph Hopkins said at the Sunday event, according to WLEX 18. “It is a powerful team. They are just so strong in their bond with one another [and] in their bond of faith.”

Kilman’s family said in a statement that he had a “passionate heart on fire for the Lord” and dreamed of leading others to follow God, WLEX 18 reported.

“Josiah influenced many hearts as he was a true example of compassion, kindness, and love,” the family said. “His example compelled so many others to make the same changes he wished to see in the world, and his impact on their lives will never truly be forgotten.”

Escalera is scheduled to be arraigned March 6.

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