The Whitewater Police Department has identified the suspect in the fatal shooting of UW-Whitewater student Kara Welsh, age 21, as Chad T. Richards, age 23, of Loves Park, Illinois. According to the press release, “The department forwarded the following charges to the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office: First-Degree Intentional Homicide (Wis. Stat. 940.01(a)), Endangering Safety by the Use of a Dangerous Weapon (Wis. Stat. 941.20(1)(c)), and Disorderly Conduct while Armed (Wis. Stat. 947.01). It is noted that this case has not been concluded. Unless a judgement of conviction is entered, the arrestee/defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.” Richards is scheduled to appear in the Walworth County Courthouse this afternoon.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater online directory includes the name of a Chad Richards as a senior communications major in the College of Arts and Communication. The athletics site includes Chad Richards of Loves Park on the 2021-22 wrestling roster.
Update 9/3/24 @ 11:45 a.m. – Per WISN Channel 12’s app, “Friends tell 12 News they were dating, and the man was helping her move into her apartment.”
Update 9/3/24 @ 8:30 p.m. – According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [MJS] and various other media, Judge Estee Scholtz left Richards’ bond at $1,000,000, “citing the violent nature of the offense and the flight risk. She also ordered Richards to not set foot on campus, but permitted him to stay in contact with the school only electronically and by phone. Walworth County District Attorney Zeke Weidenfeld pushed for Richards to not have any contact with the university.” Richards’ initial appearance is scheduled for Friday.
MJS further stated, “During the brief hearing, Kaeli Welsh described her older sister as “the light of my life,” whom she tried to pattern herself after. “She was the strongest person I know, both physically and mentally,” Welsh said through tears. “She had so much more to give the world than gymnastics…It was an honor and a privilege to grow up around her.”
Earlier Banner stories on this incident may be found here and here.
