Another college is experiencing the pain of losing a student after he was strangled to death.
Josiah Kilman, 18, was found dead in his door room at in the early hours of Feb. 24. Kilman, attended Campbellsville University, a private Christian college located in Kentucky. A teammate from the wrestling team, Charles Escalera, 21, has been arrested for the crime.
In a release to the Campbellsville University community, university president Joseph Hopkins described his condolences and grief over the situation.
“Josiah Kilman was a beloved member of our community,” Hopkins writes. “He was a bright light, and a person of incredible hope. His was contagious across our campus. Because of the faithful life and bold witness he lived in front of us, we take comfort in knowing he is with his Lord and Savior right now.”
Hopkins further noted the caution that campus officials would continue to take.
“The safety and wellbeing of our community is paramount. Please know we have a range of resources available to you including our counseling services, faculty and staff mentors, and our campus ministry. Be vigilant. Please keep up with any Campbellsville University Alerts that are issued. We are committed to sharing information with our community as we receive it. Also, help us extend gratitude to law enforcement and all those who are serving and protecting across the campus.”
Kilman’s murder comes at a dark time when a University of Colorado student and his friend were found murdered in his dorm room last month. Senior Nicholas Jordan, 25, allegedly shot Samuel Knopp, 24, and his friend, Celie Rain Montgomery, 26. Jordan and Knopp were roommates.
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University of Georgia student, Laken Riley, was also murdered in the past month while she went out for a jog on a trail near the school’s campus. Jose Antonia Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was arrested for the crime. Riley’s family has remembered her for her faith in Jesus.
With a growing number of murders, parents and students alike may wonder if it is even safe to venture onto college campuses. Last month’s shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church also goes to show that destruction and chaos can happen anywhere.
Kilman’s former soccer coach, O’Brien Byrd, said, “I hope to God this isn’t a pattern we’re seeing, but I also think that this could happen to everybody anywhere.”
As the families, friends and universities mourn over the deaths of these young adults in the midst of tragedy, let us pray for those grieving and for God’s covering and protection over students all across the nation.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media
