A US student who was found dead on campus this weekend died of strangulation, police say, and the suspect arrested in his death was a fellow member of the Kentucky university’s wrestling team.
Campbellsville University student Josiah Kilman, 18, died from asphyxia by manual strangulation, the Campbellsville Police Department said today.
The suspect in custody in connection with the student’s death, Charles Escalera, 21, is a member of the wrestling team at Campbellsville, where Kilman was also a teammate, according to Suzanne Grubesic, a spokesperson at Campbellsville University.
On Saturday, Kilman was found unresponsive in his room on campus, and was later declared dead at Taylor Regional Hospital.
Escalera was arrested on suspicion of murder “by causing the death of Josiah Kilman by asphyxia via manual strangulation and/or aided, abetted, or conspired with another to commit said acts against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth,” according to a criminal complaint.
Police said the suspect’s motive is unknown and the investigation remains ongoing.
Escalera was scheduled for an arraignment today, according to court records.
Efforts to contact Escalera’s legal representation remain ongoing. CNN has reached out to the Taylor County Attorney’s Office.
CNN has reached out to Kilman’s family.
In a Sunday news release, Campbellsville University President Joseph Hopkins described Kilman as “a beloved member of our community”.
“He was a bright light, and a person of incredible hope,” he said of Kilman, who was from Montana.
