Update: Campbellsville University President Joseph Hopkins revealed the deep impact of Kilman's death on the campus community Sunday evening.
“Josiah’s teammates are understandably devastated. But they are strong. It is a powerful team. They are just so strong in their bond with one another in their bond of faith," Hopkins said.
The university hosted a prayer and healing ceremony on campus Sunday night and plans to hold similar services and counseling options as the week begins.
Kilman's family is expected to travel to Kentucky in the coming days.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the family offset some of the cost of travel and burial. The fundraiser can be found here.
ORIGINAL STORY:
New developments are coming out of a death investigation in the small community of Campbellsville after a student was found unresponsive in his dorm room on Saturday.
According to Taylor County Coroner Daniel Cook, 18-year-old Josiah Kilman died as a result of manual strangulation, and police have charged 21-year-old Charles Escalera with murder.
Escalera was also a student at Campbellsville University. According to a Campbellsville University Athletics roster, Zeke Escalera was on the wrestling team at Campbellsville University from 2021 to 2022. Campbellsville Police confirmed Escalera goes by the name "Zeke."
Cook said, "Our office obviously was notified, and it was through the investigation that we deemed the death suspicious. A little bit later on, we released to the public that we were looking for a person of interest due to findings through the investigation."
Police have also informed us that Escalera was found in Green County when a farmer saw him in a barn.
Escalera has officially been charged with murder and second-degree burglary.
The Kilman family released this statement, "Josiah Malachi Kilman was a young, 18-year-old Christian man from Columbia Falls, Montana, who had a passionate heart on fire for the Lord. He was attending Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky on a biblical scholarship with the dreams of leading others to follow the Lord through the Christian principles, of which he himself adhered to. He was well known to many as an avid athlete and faithful religious leader. Josiah influenced many hearts as he was a true example of compassion, kindness, and love. His example compeled 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. During this time, his family is grieving and asks for privacy to deal with the devastating loss of their beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and true friend known to so many.”
Cook said that he remembers moments when college students had passed away but could not recall a time when police charged a student with murder. Cook said, "One of the most challenging things about being in this line of work is we see a lot of death, and we see obviously, life taken from infants all the way to elderly adults, and life is always valuable and life is always important at any age. It's always more challenging when you see life taken from a younger individual because you know they had so much ahead of them."
"This is a small town, and a lot of people know each other. Campbellsville University is a huge staple in our community, a good Christian college, and so people obviously have been extremely shocked and saddened," Cook added.
