Man wanted for murder in death of Campbellsville University student has been arrested
A Campbellsville University student died after being found unresponsive in his dorm room early Saturday, and a fellow student has been charged with his murder.
The Campbellsville Police Department said they were called to the university campus at 12:43 a.m. Saturday. The unresponsive student, Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was taken to Taylor Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead by Taylor County Coroner Daniel Cook, the police department said in a news release.
The suspect, Charles E. Escalera, was arrested Saturday evening, after someone called the Green County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police at about 5:15 p.m. to report “a suspicious male inside a barn” on the Green-Taylor county line, the Campbellsville Police Department said in a social media post.
State police responded and took Escalera, 21, into custody. He was to be taken to the Taylor County Detention Center, where he’s being held on a charge of murder and second-degree burglary. His bond is set for $2 million, full-cash, according to online jail records.
Kilman’s cause of death had not been determined, Campbellsville University said in a news release Saturday morning. His body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Louisville for an autopsy, police said in their release.
Kilman is listed as a freshman from Montana on the Campbellsville University men’s wrestling team roster for this school year.
Escalera is also a university student, Campbellsville University said in a social media post Saturday afternoon.
Before his arrest, Campbellsville police released images of Escalera on Facebook and said in a news release that he had been last seen in the parking lot of Lowe’s in Campbellsville.
Campbellsville police said they, along with Kentucky State Police, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, were working to find him.
In a news release Saturday morning, the university said that city police had “not identified a continued threat to students,” but out of “an abundance of caution,” the university was encouraging students and people who live around campus to take added safety precautions.
“Secure your residences, secure vehicles, and increase awareness of your surroundings,” the release stated.
The university said in a Facebook post announcing Escalera’s arrest that a campus lockdown had been lifted.
The university canceled all sports and other events Saturday and invited students to gather in Ransdell Chapel to pray. The school said its counseling center was open, with counselors available to talk with students in need of support.
“Campbellsville University is grieving the loss of one of our family. We have lost a student and our hearts are broken,” University President Joseph Hopkins said in a statement. “During this devastating time, the continued safety of our students and the residents of our community are our primary concern. With consultation from local law enforcement, we will continue to implement every measure necessary to protect and support students and our community.”
A GoFundMe account page set up for Kilman’s family described him as “a beautiful young man.”
“There are no words strong enough to mend the broken hearts of this family right now,” the GoFundMe page stated. “We are all truly in shock at the abrupt and unexpected loss of Josiah and we are asking for an abundance of prayers for them as they grapple with this devastating tragedy.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
