A former college wrestler charged with killing his girlfriend has asserted that he shot her eight times in self-defense because he “feared for his life” in the presence of the 5-foot-6 gymnast, according to officials.
32-year-old Chad Richards from Loves Park, Illinois, claims that during a heated argument with 21-year-old Kara Welsh on August 30, he felt threatened and seized her gun to protect himself, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The recently filed criminal complaint states, “The defendant claimed he shot the victim with the handgun because he feared for his life.”
Richards alleges that Welsh retrieved a gun from her nightstand during their altercation, leading him to wrestle the weapon from her and use it against the accomplished University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast.
However, the complaint indicates that Richards fired several of the eight shots while Welsh was in a fetal position.
After the shooting, Whitewater Police found Richards crying outside the off-campus apartment, with Welsh “lying on the floor in a pool of blood.”
Richards, who had previously placed fifth in the NCAA Upper Midwest Regionals during his sophomore year, discharged a total of 11 shots inside the apartment, hitting Welsh eight times in the torso and neck.
Charged with first-degree intentional homicide, disorderly conduct while armed, and endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon, Richards is currently held at Walworth County Jail with a $1 million bond set on Friday.
Welsh was preparing to start her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she was a member of the Warhawk gymnastics team.
Richards is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on October 28.
