A college wrestler found hiding in a barn and wearing blood-splattered clothing has been charged with the brutal strangling death of his teammate, according to reports.
Charles “Zeke” Escalera, 21, was arrested after Josiah Malachi Kilman, 18, was discovered dead in his dorm room at Campbellsville University, a private Baptist college in Kentucky, according to the New York Post.
When police caught up with Escalera 12 hours after Kilman’s body was discovered, he was found wearing a T-shirt covered in blood.
Josiah Kilman, 18, a student-athlete at Campbellsville University, Kentucky, was found unresponsive in his dorm in the early hours of February 24. Charles Escalera, 21, Kilman's wrestling teammate, was arrested in connection with the murder. Autopsy ruled that he was strangled. pic.twitter.com/qTSvPAZ1V6
— News (@XNews_29) March 4, 2024
Investigators said that he was seen on surveillance video wearing the same shirt on the day Kilman was murdered.
The attack on Kilman reportedly occurred after Escalera had been released from a local hospital where he was admitted for exhibiting “strange behavior” in the school cafeteria.
There was no indication that the roommates had an abusive relationship, and it is unknown why Kilman was murdered. However, Campbellsville Detective Jeremy Burton said officers were told Escalera was a loner who did not hang out with his wrestling teammates.
The paper added that Escalera is a champion wrestler who won the 106-pound state title with Union County in 2017.
The student and suspected killer were arraigned and handed a $2 million bail. He was charged with murder and second-degree burglary for breaking into a barn to hide while police searched for him.
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