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21-year-old Charles Escalara, a student at Campbellsville University, allegedly killed another 18-year-old student identified as Josiah Malachi Kilman of the same university. Kilman was reportedly found unresponsive in a dorm room on Saturday, February 24, after which he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to law enforcement officials, Charles Escalara was taken into custody on Saturday, in the evening.
Police said that an autopsy will be performed shortly, after which they can determine the cause of Kilman's death. The entire community including the university authorities are mourning the tragic death of the 18-year-old student.
Campbellsville University student Charles Escalara has been accused of killing another student who was found in an unresponsive state
Authorities responded to a dorm room of Campbellsville University on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Upon arrival at about 12.43 am local time, they discovered the unresponsive body of an adult male in the dorm room. The victim was later identified as 18-year-old Josiah Malachi Kilman.
Kilman was rushed to the Taylor Regional Hospital, where he was declared dead. The New York Times reported that the Green County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police "received a call of a suspicious male inside a barn", which then prompted the local authorities to apprehend Charles Escalara.
When authorities were looking for the suspect, they released his description to make the search easier. Escalara has been described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 128 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair.
According to the press release, he was reportedly last seen wearing a black jacket, a white hooded shirt, gray sweatpants, gray toboggan, a yellow-colored boots. He was also carrying a dark-colored backpack. After the arrest, the suspect has been charged with murder, in connection to the victim's death.
Authorities are yet to discover the course of events that transpired on Saturday
The New York Times reported that the chain of events that possibly led to the victim's death has not been determined as of now. John D. Bertram, the county attorney for Taylor County spoke about the case on Saturday and said that he believed Kilman and Escalara knew each other. Bertram also added,
"I'm not aware of any history between them."
Bertram additionally stated that cops identified Charles Escalara as the person of interest, after spotting him in a surveillance video. He further said that the case is quite unusual and also that it was unlikely to occur on the campus since it is quite small.
Joseph Hopkins, the president of Campbellsville University issued a statement in which he mentioned that the entire university is currently grieving the tragic loss of a student. The statement read,
"Josiah Kilman was a beloved member of our community. He was a bright light, and a person of incredible hope. His faith was contagious across our campus."
Shortly after the incident, the university campus was placed on lockdown. The lockdown was withdrawn at about 6 pm on Saturday, shortly after Escalara was taken into custody.
