Title-winning Illinois gymnast slain near Wisconsin college. The man accused of killing a 21-year-old gymnast made his first appearance in court Tuesday in Wisconsin. Kara Welsh of Plainfield was murdered Friday, just days before she was set to begin her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Last year, Welsh won a national individual title in vault. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged 23-year-old Chad Richard of Loves Park with first-degree intentional homicide. Richards is accused of fatally shooting Welsh during an argument inside an off-campus apartment.