A campus wrestling star found strangled in his dorm room. On February 24, 2024, Campbellsville University in Kentucky was shaken by the death of 18-year-old Josiah Kilman. A theology major and standout athlete, Josiah was known for his faith, leadership, and kindness. At first, the case looked like a mystery with no clear answers. But as investigators pieced together the evidence, they uncovered a suspect far closer than anyone on campus could have imagined.

In this episode of Murder U Podcast, we follow Josiah’s journey from Montana to Campbellsville, where his promising future ended far too soon. We trace the frantic manhunt, the stunning confession, and the questions about motive and mental health that still linger. From a community in mourning to a family clinging to faith, this is the story of a young man’s life cut short and a campus forever changed.

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In March 2018, Central Michigan University went into lockdown after reports of gunfire inside a dorm. By the time police reached the scene, two parents were dead — and the suspect was their own son. The killings left the campus reeling and raised urgent questions about mental health, warning signs, and how quickly a crisis can spiral out of control.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the lives of James Eric and Diva Davis, their son Eric Davis Jr.’s sudden unraveling, and the troubling signs of paranoia and disorientation he displayed before violence tore his family apart. This case revealed not only the heartbreak of a double parricide but also the gaps in how universities respond to students in psychiatric crisis.

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It was one of the most shocking crimes in University of Miami history. In April 1996, linebacker Marlin Barnes and his close friend Timwanika Lumpkins were discovered brutally beaten inside Barnes’ on-campus apartment. At first, students feared a random predator was on the loose. But as detectives pieced together the evidence, the investigation led them to someone much closer — a jealous ex with a violent history.

In this episode of Murder U, we trace Marlin’s journey from Liberty City to the Hurricanes football team, where he became an inspiration to his family and community. We look at the life of Timwanika, remembered by loved ones as “Lil Bit,” and how both were pulled into a tragedy that stunned the campus and made national headlines. From the initial panic, to the trail of evidence, to the courtroom verdict, this is the story of how jealousy and rage destroyed two young lives full of promise.

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On a snowy December night in 2018, 17-year-old Breana Rouhselang left her Mishawaka, Indiana home to meet a classmate—and never came back. By sunrise, her body was found discarded behind a local restaurant, sending shockwaves through her tight-knit community.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Breana’s story from her life as a cheerleader and softball player to the final hours before her death, and the troubling signs her classmate Aaron Trejo displayed as investigators unraveled the truth. This devastating case of teen violence raised haunting questions about secrecy, betrayal, and a future stolen before it began.

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In May 1995, Harvard sophomore Trang Ho was found murdered inside her dorm suite — the attack carried out by someone shockingly close to her. The killing stunned the Harvard campus and left classmates asking how such violence could erupt behind dorm room walls.  

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Trang’s journey from Vietnam to Harvard, her rise as a standout scholar, and the troubling signs of obsession and isolation her roommate Sinedu Tadesse revealed before everything collapsed in violence. Behind the ivy-covered walls, this case revealed painful truths about mental health, cultural isolation, and the consequences of ignoring red flags.

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In April 2008, 22-year-old college student Lola Martinez was found murdered inside her dorm apartment at Purdue University Fort Wayne. At first, investigators feared a random attack. But the truth was far more shocking: the killer was not a stranger, but her roommate’s mother.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Lola’s story from her childhood in New Mexico to her new life in Indiana, and the overlooked red flags in Tina Morris’s past that led to a fatal confrontation. This disturbing case of campus violence exposes the dangers that can arise when rules are ignored and trust is misplaced.

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A Yale graduate student is gunned down just blocks from his fiancée’s apartment.

Kevin Jiang, 26, was an Army veteran, a man of faith, and a rising scholar in environmental science. He had just proposed to the woman he loved, and the couple was planning their future together. But on a February night in 2021, a minor car collision became the opening move in a calculated attack that left Kevin dead in the street.

The investigation that followed would take detectives far beyond the quiet New Haven neighborhood where it happened. Surveillance footage, stolen cars, and a trail of discarded evidence pointed to an unlikely suspect—a former MIT graduate with no connection to Kevin, but a hidden link to his fiancée. What began as a baffling, seemingly random murder unraveled into a manhunt across multiple states for a fugitive who nearly planned the perfect crime.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the case from the night of the shooting to the dramatic conclusion—and the chilling truth behind a killer driven by obsession.

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He agreed to fight in a fraternity boxing match. The following night he was dead.

A college student steps into the ring for a charity boxing event—just days before his 21st birthday. Hours later, he suffered a fatal brain injury. The match was organized by a fraternity, held off-campus, and widely attended by students. University officials were aware the event was happening but did not intervene.

There was no licensed referee, no paramedics on standby, and no official oversight. In this episode of Murder U, we examine the death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia, the fatal safety lapses that led to his collapse, and the legal loopholes that allowed the fight to happen in the first place. As Valencia’s family pushes for reform, a state grapples with how to stop it from happening again.

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A college student vanishes after a late-night stop at a gas station. Nineteen-year-old Aniah Blanchard had just texted a friend when she pulled into a convenience store in Auburn, Alabama—and was never seen again. Her car was found days later, abandoned and damaged, miles away from where she disappeared.

As investigators pieced together the timeline, surveillance footage showed a man inside the store at the same time as Aniah. He had a violent criminal history and was out on bond for attempted murder. But did their paths actually cross? What started as a missing persons case quickly turned into a race against time—and raised urgent questions about how he was free at all. 

The case made headlines nationwide, fueled in part by Aniah’s stepfather, UFC fighter Walt Harris, whose public pleas brought widespread attention. For many, it became a symbol of a justice system that failed her. And years later, with no trial date set, her family is still waiting for answers.

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A father is gunned down after pulling over to move a tire. Jared Bridegan had just dropped off his twin children at his ex-wife Shanna Gardner's home when he stopped on a quiet Jacksonville Beach road. His two-year-old daughter was still in the back seat when someone opened fire, killing Jared in what looked like a senseless act of violence. But police quickly realized this was no random attack. 

As detectives began to unravel the case, they found themselves drawn into a tangled web of custody disputes, strained relationships, and carefully concealed resentment. What began as a search for a masked gunman soon led investigators to Jared’s past—and raised serious questions about who might have wanted him gone, and why. 

Now, with multiple arrests made and a high-stakes trial on the horizon, prosecutors say this was a calculated plot to eliminate a devoted father. But with the case still unfolding, the full truth has yet to be tested in court. 

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