John Jefferson
Left: Chad Richards (Whitewater Police Department). Right: Kara Welsh (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater).
After a college gymnast was found dead ahead of Labor Day, shocking the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater community, her ex-wrestler boyfriend claimed that he was the one who “feared for his life” even though the victim was in a fetal position when he fired multiple gunshots, authorities now allege.
Friends, colleagues, and loved ones of Kara Welsh have been demanding answers and justice ever since the 21-year-old senior, business management major, and accomplished gymnast from Plainfield, Ill., was shot to death on the night of Aug. 30, the Friday before Labor Day, at her off-campus apartment.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the Whitewater Police Department said that Welsh was shot multiple times following an alleged “altercation” with 23-year-old Chad Richards, a former college wrestler from Loves Park, Ill., whom investigators said Welsh knew and was at the scene of the shooting when cops arrived.
Since then, Richards was hit with charges of first-degree intentional homicide, disorderly conduct while armed, and endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon, leading to an appearance in a Walworth County courtroom and a $1 million bond.
The latest details of the criminal complaint against Richards identified him and Welsh as boyfriend and girlfriend, revealed that Welsh was shot a total of eight times (whether in her torso, neck, or elsewhere on her body), and that the suspected shooter said a bedroom argument frightened him to the point where he defended himself with a gun, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
According to the report, Richards was crying in a hallway outside the victim’s apartment as she lay “in a pool of blood” when cops got to the scene and he allegedly said that there was an argument in a bedroom. Richards’ alleged version of events is that Welsh, during the course of that argument, got a gun from a nightstand — a pistol that he then ripped from her hands and used to shoot her over and over again.
“The defendant stated that he shot (the victim) with the handgun because he feared for his life,” court documents reportedly said, claiming that evidence indicated Richards may have opened fire 11 times and shot Welsh eight times, some of those bullets fatally wounding her while she was in a fetal position.
Based on these details, it seems a jury will eventually be tasked with deciding if this story of a former college wrestler having to shoot a gymnast eight times in self-defense makes sense.
For now, court records show that Richards is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing at 2 p.m. on Oct. 28.
As Law&Crime has reported, Richards was a communications student at UW-Whitewater and had in recent years been on the wrestling team. The university’s website showed the former high school wrestler “chose to attend UW-Whitewater for the wrestling program” and that he participated on the team from 2020 to 2022.
A university gymnastics profile for Welsh detailed that she enrolled at UW-Whitewater “because she fell in love with the campus and the people.
In statements, the school said Welsh, a senior and business management major, was a “national champion and two-time All-American” and her coach called her a “powerful athlete, dedicated teammate, and the light in everyone’s dark days[.]”
“Kara truly lifted each and every one of us up in her time as a Warhawk gymnast,” said Jen Regan. “There are no words to describe the void we all feel in our hearts, but Kara’s legacy will live on through Warhawk gymnastics forever.”
As of Monday, a GoFundMe campaign started on behalf of Kara’s mom has raised more than $50,000 in memory of the beloved “daughter, sister, dear friend and teammate.”
“Kara had a unique ability to bring joy to any person she crossed paths with, always putting a smile on people’s faces with her sense of humor, unwavering support and sweet disposition,” a post said. “Kara, 21 years old, was excited to be in her rising senior year as a gymnast at UW-Whitewater which was abruptly cut short on August 30th, by a heartless act of violence.”
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