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Man pleads not guilty in death of UW-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh

ELKHORN — A former college wrestler has pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting his girlfriend, a champion gymnast, during a fight at his Whitewater apartment in August.

Chad T. Richards made no comment during his brief arraignment hearing Friday before Walworth County Court Commissioner Peter M. Navis. He entered his plea through his attorney, Gibson D. Hatch of Middleton.

He will return to court for a status conference on January 23.

More: Suspect appears in court in shooting death of UW-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh

Police arrested Richards, 23, in connection with the brutal murder of Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student and national gymnastics champion.

Welsh was 21 and starting her senior year of college when she was found dead in an off-campus apartment building on Aug. 30, police said.

Richards, a former UW-Whitewater wrestler from Loves Park, Illinois, was arrested Aug. 31.

In a criminal complaint, Dr. Brian Peterson of the Walworth County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Welsh had eight gunshot wounds.

Investigators have pushed the theory, based on the evidence, that the gunman stood over Welsh and fired while she was curled up on the ground in the fetal position.

The crime shocked many in Whitewater, a college town of 15,000 residents, many of whom either attended the local university or have some connection to it.

The case was assigned to Judge Estee Scholtz, a 2009 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School who is a former corporate attorney for Walworth County after previously serving as prosecutor in that county from 2013 to 2015.

Scholtz also served as a prosecutor in Milwaukee County from 2010 to 2013.

More: What we know and don't know about the fatal shooting of gymnastics champion Kara Welsh

Prosecutors have made several motions in the case in recent weeks, including an Oct. 25 request for the defense to release a list of witnesses Richards plans to call at trial, as well as any reports or statements from experts related to the case case were submitted.

They also asked about the results of any physical or mental examinations, scientific tests and experiments that Richards plans to use in the trial.

These items must be returned 30 days before the hearing or sooner.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Welsh's family – parents Tom and Nancy and sister Kaeli – with funeral costs. The goal was $40,000. As of Friday afternoon, $53,080 had been raised. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/honor-kara-welsh-support-her-loved-ones.

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