CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Update: July 30 at 5 p.m.
A former Campbellsville University student apologized in court on Thursday before receiving a 40-year prison sentence for murdering his wrestling teammate in a campus dormitory.
Charles Escalera pleaded guilty in June to killing 18-year-old freshman Josiah Kilman in February 2024. At his sentencing hearing in Taylor County Circuit Court, Escalera addressed the victim's family.
"There are no words I can say to help comfort and give any ease to all the heartache," Escalera said. "If I could trade him places, I would in the blink of an eye."
Kilman was strangled in his dormitory room. Both students were members of the university's wrestling team at the time of the murder.
During the investigation, Campbellsville police used surveillance video to track down Escalera, according to testimony from a detective at a previous court hearing. Police found him hiding in a barn in Green County after a farmer reported seeing him.
Family members read victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. Paul Brown, a cousin, spoke on behalf of Kilman's parents who live out of state.
"I ask the court to remember Joe and Jessica Kilman — they will never see their son again," one statement read. "We carry this unimaginable loss and heartbreaking pain every second, and every day for the rest of our lives," said Brown.
A victim's advocate read a statement from Kilman's mother, who lives in Montana: "I replay his life every single day and I always will, because every chapter of his story, every moment, one of my favorites."
Escalera will be eligible for parole in 20 years.
Original story:
Charles Escalera has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in connection with the killing of 18-year-old Campbellsville student Josiah Malachi Kilman.
Escalera entered a guilty plea as part of a plea agreement on June 28. During a sentencing hearing on July 30, Escalera gave an apology statement in court before receiving his sentence, LEX News in court reported.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison with credit for time served and will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years.
News
Suspect arrested after death of Campbellsville University student
In 2024, Escalera previously appeared in court by Zoom, where Campbellsville Police Detective Jeremy Burton testified about the investigation into Kilman’s death.
During that hearing, Burton testified that Escalera admitted to killing Kilman. A judge later found probable cause in the case, allowing it to move forward to a grand jury.
