UPDATE: 7/11/2025 - Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell issued the following statement: “This was an extremely violent and senseless killing of a vulnerable elder in our community,” said Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell. “I am deeply grateful to law enforcement that Mr. Clowes has been apprehended and charged. Most importantly, I want to commend the Kilwein family for their extraordinary grace, patience, and steadfast commitment to justice during the long wait for answers in this tragic case.”
In a release, the county attorney also stated: "The case has remained unsolved for four years, with detectives from the Bozeman Police Department continuing to pursue leads. Advances in forensic DNA testing ultimately led to the charges being filed.
The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office extends its sincere thanks to the Bozeman Police Department, Gallatin County Sheriff Detectives, the Montana State Crime Lab, Pure Gold Forensics, and our victim advocacy team for their dedication to solving this case and supporting the Kilwein family.
Clowes is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case will proceed through the pretrial process in Gallatin County District Court."
UPDATE: 7/11/2025 - Austin Clowes appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court this morning and is currently being held in the Gallatin County Detention Center on $1M bond, charged with deliberate homicide.
Charging documents reveal that Bozeman police officers were dispatched to check the welfare of Steven Kilwein on or about June 13, 2021. When they arrived, they found the body of Kilwein inside his home on N. 9th Ave. Two days later, an autopsy was performed in Billings, and the medical examiner determined Kilwein's cause of death to be homicide and noted the man had endured multiple "chop-style" injuries.
Bozeman Police Department detectives then initiated a homicide investigation. During the initial crime scene sweep, they located an Apple iPhone in Kilwein's front yard. The detectives then determined the phone belonged to Austin Clowes. Later, when detectives interviewed Clowes, he reportedly claimed it was his cellphone. Call detail records were analyzed by the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team, which showed Clowes' cellphone to be in the area of the crime between approximately 12:15 a.m. and 1 a.m. on June 13, 2021.
A neighbor told detectives they heard some noise over the weekend, one early morning around 2 a.m., describing the sound as possibly three people having an argument or talking loudly. The neighbor then reportedly heard what sounded like something falling and making a sharp noise, after which the neighbor heard someone say, "Oh shit."
WATCH: Family Still in Disbelief: Remembering Steven Kilwein Four Years After Tragic Death
A detective interviewed Clowes to find out why his cellphone was recovered in the front yard of the crime scene. Clowes reportedly stated he was walking in the area of the crime scene and must have lost his phone. He told the detective he was drinking in downtown Bozeman on the night of June 12 into the early morning of June 13, 2021. Clowes reportedly told the detective he wanted to go home before his friends, so he started walking toward Kimball Ave. in Bozeman, where he was staying with friends.
Clowes allegedly stated he would provide a voluntary DNA sample, but changed his mind the following day.
On Sept. 9, 2021, the detective received a phone call from Clowes, who reportedly said that after speaking to his family and consulting an attorney friend of the family, he was declining to consent to a buccal swab and fingerprinting.
Documents state that in November 2021, a detective examined the trash at Clowes' residence in an attempt to get Clowes' DNA sample. A small trash bag reportedly contained documents and mail for Clowes, including a DMV letter addressed to Clowes, a Great Clips receipt, and two car dealership key tags. In an interview with the detective, Clowes stated he was employed at JC Billion at the time of the homicide. A water bottle was also located inside the trash bag.
The water bottle was seized and submitted to the Montana State Crime Lab for analysis, which was able to obtain a DNA profile from the water bottle.
DNA was also collected from Kilwein's fingernails and pajama bottoms. The analysis revealed that the mixture of DNA obtained from Kilwein's pajama bottoms is 3.2 billion times more likely to have originated from Kilwein and Clowes, and an unknown contributor, than from Kilwein and two unknown contributors.
Clowes graduated from Bozeman High School in 2019 and is also an MSU graduate.
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BOZEMAN —- Bozeman Police held a press conference Friday morning to announce the arrest of Austin Clowes, 25, of Bozeman in the cold case murder of Steven Kilwein.
The murder took place in Bozeman on June 13, 2021.
Clowes was arrested on a warrant on Thursday, July 10, 2025, charged with deliberate homicide. He's being held in the Gallatin County Detention Center on $1M bond.
According to charging documents, Clowes was initially linked to the murder through his cell phone and later through DNA.
Clowes is expected to be seen this morning at Gallatin County Justice Court.
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A look at the unsolved mystery of Steven Kilwein: 4 years later
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
