| By Big Radio News Staff |
Whitewater police have identified Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois, as the suspect in the killing of UW-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh.
Richards is scheduled to appear in Walworth County Court in Elkhorn on Tuesday.
The investigation is still ongoing, and the police department said it would not provide additional details Tuesday morning. Police previously said Welsh and Richards knew each other but did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship.
As reported earlier, Welsh, 21, was found dead at an apartment at 147 W. Whitewater St. in Whitewater late last Friday night.
Richards was also at the apartment when police arrived.
Police said there had been an altercation between Welsh and Richards before Welsh was shot.
Richards faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct while armed.
Welsh, of Plainfield, Illinois, was a junior on the UW-Whitewater gymnastics team. She was an all-American and all-conference performer in the vault during the 2021-22 season and won a Division III national championship in that event in 2023.
Richards was listed as a sophomore on the UW-Whitewater wrestling roster for the 2021-22 season but did not appear on the roster for the two subsequent seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24).
