Authorities said the former college wrestler, who competed in the 197-pound weight class, claimed he shot his girlfriend eight times in self-defense because he “feared for his life” due to the 5-foot-6 gymnast.
Chad Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, claims he felt threatened during a violent argument with Kara Welsh, 21, on August 30 and grabbed his girlfriend's gun to protect himself. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.
“The defendant stated he shot (the victim) with a handgun because he feared for his life,” a recently filed criminal complaint states.
Richards alleged that during an argument, Welsh grabbed a gun from a nightstand in her bedroom and used it on the standout gymnast at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
But the lawsuit says Richards fired several of the eight shots while Welsh was in the fetal position.
Whitewater police said they found Richards crying outside in the hallway of an off-campus apartment building while Welsh “lay on the floor in a pool of blood” after the fatal shooting.
Welsh, a former wrestler who placed fifth at the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional as a college sophomore, fired a total of 11 shots inside the apartment, hitting Welsh eight times in his torso and neck, authorities said.
Richards, who called police about the deadly shooting, was charged with first-degree intentional murder, disorderly conduct while armed and endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon.
He was being held Friday in Walworth County Jail on $1 million bail.
Welsh was entering her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she was a member of the school's Warhawk gymnastics team.
Welsh, who won the individual national title on vault at last year's NCAA Division III Championships, was a business administration major.
A GoFundMe set up to help her parents, Nancy and Tom Welsh, and her sister, Kaeli, had raised more than $51,000 as of Tuesday morning.
Richards is scheduled to appear again in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 28.
