A suspect has been identified in the Labor Day weekend shooting of UW-Whitewater student and gymnast Kara Welsh, 21, of Plainfield, Illinois.
UW-W senior Communication major and former wrestler, Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, appeared in court Tuesday, Sept. 3 where he was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed. The judge upheld a bond of $1 million, citing a flight risk. He was booked into the Walworth County Jail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, Sept. 6.
Richards was arrested late the Friday night of Aug. 30 after allegedly shooting Welsh multiple times. Listed on the university’s wrestling rosters in 2020-21 as a freshman and 2021-22 as a sophomore, he was known to Welsh, but investigators have not yet said what that relationship was.
Investigators state that there was an altercation between the two at 147 W. Whitewater St., apartment 203. After arriving on the scene, officers of the Whitewater Police Department discovered Welsh deceased with multiple gunshot wounds. Richards was also in the apartment at the time. The investigation is still ongoing and police do not believe the community is in any danger.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation should contact the Whitewater Police Department at 262-473-0555 (Option 4). Anonymous tips may also be shared using P3Tips.com.
A GoFundMe called Honoring Kara Welsh: A Fund for Her Family was started Sept. 1 with a goal of reaching $40,000 and 700 donations. It currently has over 600 donations totaling over $39,000.
