Whitewater shooting: Chad Richards pleads not guilty to homicide
WHITEWATER, Wis. - The Illinois man accused of killing a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student pleaded not guilty on Friday. He was bound over for trial last month.
Chad Richards, 23, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the August shooting of 21-year-old Kara Welsh. In addition to being a student, Welsh was a national champion and two-time All-American gymnast.
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Shooting scene
According to a criminal complaint, police were called to a downtown Whitewater apartment just before midnight on Aug. 30. Richards called and said a woman was dying; officers found him on his phone, crying in the hallway, and escorted him out.
Officers went into the apartment and found Welsh on the floor in a pool of blood, per the complaint. She did not have a pulse and was not breathing. An autopsy determined she suffered eight gunshot wounds.
Whitewater fatal shooting investigation
Detectives said Welsh's injuries were consistent with some of the shots occurring while the shooter was standing over her while she was in the fetal position on the floor, according to court filings.
Prosecutors said officers found a handgun and several spent shell casings. A bedroom door also had several holes in it, consistent with someone kicking or punching it.
Kara Welsh
In custody
In a Mirandized interview, the complaint states Richards told detectives it unfolded at his apartment. He said he and his girlfriend, Welsh, got into an argument, but he did not remember what the argument was about.
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Richards said he got so mad that he punched the door, according to prosecutors. He also said, while they were arguing in the bedroom, Welsh grabbed his gun from his nightstand. He said he wrestled the gun away from her, and he shot Welsh because he feared for his life. He then called his father and 911.
Court records show Richards is being held in the Walworth County Jail on $1 million cash bond. Richards' attorney said his client was also a student at UW-Whitewater.