OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
1:03 PM – Sunday, February 25, 2024
A 21-year-old student was taken into custody in connection with the murder of an 18-year-old student at Campbellsville University in Kentucky after being discovered hiding in a barn.
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According to a press release from the university, Josiah Kilman, 18, was found unconscious in his Campbellsville dorm room on Saturday morning at around 1:00 a.m. local time. He was taken to Taylor Regional Hospital, where he was later declared deceased.
His body was sent to the Kentucky Office of the Medical Examiner in Louisville for an autopsy, but police claimed they did not know the cause of death.
Authorities acquired a warrant for Charles Escalera, 21, based on security footage when the 12,000-student Christian school went under lockdown.
Campbellsville Police announced that Escalera, the suspect in the killing of a student at Campbellsville University, was taken into custody on Saturday night.
Earlier in the day, an arrest warrant was issued for Escalera, for the murder of Josiah Kilman. Escalera was allegedly detained after a nearby farmer reported a “suspicious person” in his barn to the authorities.
Around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, Campbellsville Police stated that they received a report about a “strange individual” in a barn on the border between Green and Taylor counties. After being alerted, Kentucky State Police found Escalera and made an orderly arrest.
Escalera is encountering murder and burglary charges and is being held in the Taylor County Detention Center.
According to a police update shared to Facebook, authorities were called in regarding a “suspicious male located inside a barn” on the border between Green and Taylor county line.
“Campbellsville University is grieving the loss of one of our family. We have lost a student and our hearts are broken,” Dr. Joseph Hopkins, Campbellsville University president, said in the press release. “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.”
Early on Sunday, Campbellsville University announced that all regularly scheduled classes, events, and campus activities will take place as usual.
Kilman’s family created a GoFundMe page for him.
“Joe and Jessica Kilman received the news this morning that their beloved son Josiah has left this earthly world and has gone to be with the Lord our Father in Heaven,” a family friend said in a GoFundMe page.
“There are no words strong enough to mend the broken hearts of this family right now. 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.”
It is at least the third college student fatality this month in the United States to be recorded in Kentucky, where Kilman passed away.
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