UW-Whitewater fatal shooting of gymnast; Chad Richards charged
WHITEWATER, Wis. - 23-year-old Chad Richards, the man accused of fatally shooting UW-Whitewater student Kara Welsh, has been formally charged with 1st-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon.
He made his initial appearance in court on Friday, Sept. 6.
Richards of Loves Park, Illinois, is being held at the Walworth County Jail on $1 million cash bond. Richards' attorney said his client is also a student at UW-Whitewater.
Kara Welsh
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Case details
Initial arrival
According to the criminal complaint, just before midnight on Aug. 30, officers were dispatched to an apartment in downtown Whitewater for a report of a male caller, later identified as Chad Richards, "the defendant", who was stating that a woman was dying.
Officers found Richards on his phone, crying in the hallway of the apartment. He was escorted out.
Officers entered the apartment and found the victim, later identified as Kara Welsh, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She did not have a pulse and was not breathing. Officers noted several gunshot wounds.
The complaint goes on to say that officers found a handgun and several spent shell casings. The bedroom door also had several holes in it, consistent with someone kicking or punching it.
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Interview with the defendant
In a mirandized interview, the defendant told detectives he was his girlfriend and the incident happened at his apartment. The defendant stated that he and his girlfriend (Welsh) had gotten into an argument, but the defendant did not remember what the argument was about.
The defendant stated that he had gotten so mad that he punched the door. The defendant stated that while they were arguing in the bedroom, Welsh grabbed the defendant’s handgun from the defendant’s nightstand. The defendant stated that he wrestled the handgun away from Welsh. The defendant stated that he shot Welsh with the handgun because he feared for his life. The defendant stated that after he shot Welsh he called his father and then called 911, per the complaint.
Autopsy
The complaint goes on to say that the results from the autopsy show Welsh suffered eight gunshot wounds, which included wounds to her neck, wrist, abdomen, thighs and lower back. The cause of death was determined to be multiple gunshot wounds to the neck, torso and extremities.
Detectives say that the injuries to the victim and evidence at the scene were consistent with some of the shots occurring while the shooter was standing over Welsh while she was in the fetal position on the floor, per the complaint.
Court
Walworth County Court for Chad Richard's initial appearance
Richards made his initial appearance in Walworth County Court on Friday, Sept. 6.
He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 28.