Traumatized students returned to classes at Campbellsville University in Kentucky after a college wrestling star was arrested for the murder of one of his popular young teammates.
First-year theology student Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was found strangled in his dormitory at the private Baptist school at 1 a.m. Saturday.
The students were ordered to lock themselves in as the search began for Charles Escalera, 21, who was located that night after a farmer tipped off police about a suspicious man hiding in his barn.
Both students were members of the university’s wrestling team and Escalera had won the 106-pound state wrestling title in 2017.
“It’s indescribably suffocating to have this happen to him,” said former Kilman football coach O’Brien Bird.
“He was such an exceptional human being who shined a really bright light.”
Freshman theology student Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was studying at the private Campbellsville Baptist University in Kentucky after winning a Bible scholarship.
His family in Columbia Falls, Montana, said their son (above left) had “dreams of leading others to follow the Lord through Christian principles.”
Kilman’s college wrestling partner, Charles Escalera, was arrested five miles away on Saturday at 5:15 pm after a farmer saw him hiding in his barn.
The teen was found unresponsive in a bedroom and taken to Taylor Regional Hospital, where he died, according to authorities.
Kilman’s family said their son had “dreams of leading others to follow the Lord through Christian principles.”
“His example forced many others to make the same changes he wanted to see in the world, and his impact on their lives will never truly be forgotten,” they said in a statement.
His is the fourth violent death of a young person on a university campus in the last month and shocked staff and friends on the 1,200-student campus.
University President Joseph Hopkins said Kilman’s faith was “contagious” and described him as a “bright light and a person of incredible hope.”
Hopkins prayed with Kilman and Escalera’s colleagues on the wrestling team on Sunday.
“I told you that the wrestling team is about to get much bigger as you, our staff, students and this community support them in the coming days and months,” he wrote.
‘During this devastating time, the continued safety of our students and the residents of our community is our primary concern.
Kilman was a great athlete and was described by his former football coach as an “exceptional human being who shone a really bright light.”
The teenager had only been at university a few months before his murder.
More than 11,000 students are enrolled at the university whose Campbellsville campus was closed Saturday.
“In consultation with local authorities, we will continue to implement all necessary measures to protect and support students and our community.”
Students were urged to remain vigilant even after the lockdown was lifted on Sunday.
“Secure your residences, protect your vehicles and increase awareness of your surroundings,” police warned them.
Escalera, a sophomore pre-engineering student from Moore, Oklahoma, has been charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Taylor County Detention Center on $2 million bail.
TO gofundme was created to pay for the funeral of the teenager killed in Columbia Falls, Montana, and had raised more than $57,000 as of Monday night.
His family said their son had won a Bible scholarship to college and had a “passionate and burning heart for the Lord.”
“Many knew him as an avid athlete and faithful religious leader,” they added.
“Josiah influenced many hearts as he was a true example of compassion, kindness and love.”
His death follows the killing Friday of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley while jogging at the University of Georgia.
Illegal Venezuelan immigrant José Antonio Ibarra was arrested for her murder that same day and is now being held in the Clarke County Jail.
The 26-year-old crossed into El Paso, Texas, in September 2022, but was released from a detention center due to lack of space.
The White House issued a statement Monday as President Joe Biden prepares to make his second visit to the southern border as president later this week.
Laken Riley, a nursing student, was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus
‘People should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law if they are found guilty. “Since this is an active case, we would have to refer it to state authorities and ICE,” the White House official said.
University of Colorado student Nicholas Jordan, 25, was charged the same day with killing his roommate Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, on the Colorado Springs campus on the 16th. of February.
Police said the motive for Kilman’s murder “is still undetermined at this time.”
Escalera has also been charged with second-degree theft for food he allegedly stole during his hours on the run.