LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Campbellsville University community is still reeling from the shock of learning about the death of one of its students over the weekend.
Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was found unresponsive inside his dorm room early Saturday but was pronounced dead a short time later at an area hospital.
The campus had to undergo a full lockdown as police searched for 21-year-old Charles Escalera, who they believed was responsible for Kilman’s death.
Escalera, who also attended the university, was arrested Saturday evening after authorities in Green County and Kentucky State Police got word from a farmer of a “suspicious male” inside of a barn near the Green-Taylor County line.
“He had located a male in his barn while he was feeding [animals], which he then in return called Green County Sheriff’s Department and they contacted state police,” Campbellsville Police Chief Shannon Wilson told WHAS11 News on Saturday.
Escalera was taken into custody and lockdown was lifted on campus.
According to ABC News, a spokesperson revealed Kilman and Escalera were both members of the school’s wrestling team. On Monday, the Taylor County Coroner's Office said the cause of death was asphyxia by manual strangulation.
The Campbellsville University campus has been forever changed by this act, with many wondering why it happened.
Campbellsville University President Dr. Joseph Hopkins said the community is hurting over the loss of Kilman.
“Josiah was a bright light in this community, he was loved by students, faculty, and staff across the campus and made an enormous impact in his year here at Campbellsville University," he said. “We’ve had an incredible life lived in front of us.”
Hopkins said the campus is doing everything it can to provide counselors and resources to the students, and working to secure the campus to give a sense of safety to everyone.
“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 and their bond of faith," he said.
O’Brien Byrd, who coached Kilman in soccer between the ages of 7 and 18, said learning about his death was one of the hardest phone calls he ever had to take.
“His best friend Adam called me yesterday morning and I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me,” Byrd explained. “When I could hear what he was saying, it’s unfathomable.”
Byrd said Kilman remained close to the people who entered his life and called him “an exceptional human being that shined a really bright light into whoever he touched.”
For him, it’s trying to understand why a life that young was taken so soon.
“This is a reminder for all of us that life is truly a gift and Josiah is going to be able to walk with this every day now," Byrd said. “Us as adults that have seen more pain than these young human beings, we really got to focus on them right now and we’ll never be able to just understand why.”
Byrd wants everyone to remember Kilman’s legacy and the impact he had on others.
“Josiah would want us to focus on the good in humans. He would want us to focus on our journey and living life to the fullest and being gentle when you’re strong.”
Escalera is currently being held at the Taylor County Detention Center on murder and burglary charges. His bond has been set at $2 million.
It’s unclear when he will appear in court on the charges.
Kilman's family has a GoFundMe set up to help pay for the costs of transporting him back home to Montana and burial expenses.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
RELATED VIDEO