It has been four years now, since the unthinkable happened to Steven Kilwein. Leaving his family devastated. Today, they still look for answers. “My dad was murdered on June 13, 2021. Somebody made the choice that I no longer get to have my father” says Kari (Kilwein) Gray. One of Steven’s daughters.
You may recall a special report MTN’s Carley Rainey created a year ago on Steven Kilwein. “Our dad Steve Kilwein was amazing. He loved family more than anything else”.
Steven grew up in North Dakota, where he raised his five children. But a dream to live in Bozeman, Montana drew him west, where he found his true home in 1986. “Anyone would walk past his house and if he was outside he would strike up a conversation with them. He was just trusting of the world” Shares Karla (Kilwein) Hacker.
But on a Sunday like any other, the Kilwein family grew suspicious after not hearing from their father. “There must've been 100 messages calling and texting. It weighed heavy” explained Karen (Kilwein) Hamilton. They called police, requesting a welfare check. When authorities arrived, they found Steve Kilwein dead on the floor. “I was in disbelief. He couldn’t have been gone,” Kari says holding back tears.
The original coroner's report named electrocution as Kilwein’s cause of death. But further investigation revealed “multiple chop type injuries”. And, with a door and window busted into Kilwein's home? Murder was suspected. “Was it just somebody walking by? There’s a lot of crazy people. Bozeman is not the Bozeman that I knew in the late 80’s,” shared Kurt Kilwein.
Kilwein was murdered around 11:00AM. Across the street from a church where crowds were gathered for Sunday services. No one saw a thing. Nothing was stolen from Kilwein’s home. Not even his wallet that contained $2,400 in cash. Four years later, the case is still cold. “We don’t know the details, but the detectives do. They know a lot more than they can share with us because it’s an ongoing investigation.” explains Karla.
On a phone call with Karen and Karla Kilwein, daughters of Steven, they shared they’re still actively working with detectives. And their reward of $100,000 still stands for anyone with information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of their father’s killer. “No one has been brought to justice for this” says Kari, “and we just want anyone out there to help us.” “His sense of humor and his love of life? He gave that to all of his kids. We laugh so much. And I have to say since June 13th that laughter has certainly been extinguished,” adds Karen.
Anyone with information about Steven Kilwein's murder is asked to contact Bozeman Police Detective Lloyd at 406-582-2225 or email crimetips@bozeman.net.
