WHITEWATER, Wis. (Scripps News Milwaukee) — The man accused of killing UW-Whitewater student athlete Kara Welsh was formally charged Friday .
Chad Richards is charged with killing star gymnast Kara Welsh. (Whitewater Police Dept.)
Chad T. Richards, 23, faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon.
According to a criminal complaint, Richards called the police on August 30 and said that a woman was dying. When police arrived, they saw him “crying hysterically” on his phone in the hallway of the apartment building.
After escorting Richards out of the building, the officers made their way inside, where they found Welsh with several gunshot wounds to her neck, shoulder, wrist, and leg.
Richards later told police that he was Welsh’s boyfriend and that he and Welsh got into a fight that night. He told police he couldn’t remember what the fight was about.
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In the complaint, Richards told police he punched a door out of frustration, leading Welsh to grab Richards’ gun from his nightstand. Richards told police he wrestled the gun away, and shot Welsh “because he feared for his life.”
Kara Welsh, a star gymnast, was shot and killed Aug. 30, 2024 near the University of Wisconsin’s Whitewater Campus. (University of Wisconsin via Scripps News Milwaukee)
Investigators later discovered eight gunshot wounds on Welsh’s body.
Richards could face life in prison if convicted of the crime.
Welsh, 21, was a two-time Division III All-American gymnast. She won the 2023 individual national championship in vault and helped lead the team to a runner-up finish earlier this year.
As Richards appeared in court by video earlier this week, Welsh’s family sat in the front row of the courtroom.
With her mother by her side, Welsh’s older sister, Kaeli, shared a written impact statement that shared more about who her sister was.
“My little sister, Kara, was the light of my life,” said Welsh. “She was always smiling, always knew just what to say to make people laugh and was my overall favorite person on the planet.”
Through tears, Welsh went on to say of her sister, “l’ve heard many people talk about Kara’s sports accolades, which do deserve to be celebrated— but she had so much more to give to the world aside from gymnastics. There was nothing that Kara couldn’t do. My worst fear has always been losing my best friend. Now that it has happened, I will not stop fighting for her and telling her story to anyone and everyone who will listen.”
This story was originally published by Scripps News Milwaukee, an E.W. Scripps Company.
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