Loved ones are completely shattered by the “heartbreaking” death of Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old star gymnast, who was shot to death by a man identified by college friends as her boyfriend.
The national champion was found dead in her off-campus apartment on August 30, and a friend of the couple says he “beats” himself up for not sharing “just one more” moment that maybe “could change” what happened.
Keep reading to learn about Welsh’s tragic death.
On Saturday August 31, Sierra Brooks learned Kara Welsh, her best friend and former teammate, was shot to death the night before.
“I can’t even wrap my head around how someone could do this, let alone to such a beautiful person,” she writes in a tribute to the 21-year-old Welsh, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) student who was majoring in business and economics.
Welsh, a gymnast, also won an individual title on the vault in 2023.
According to a statement, the student, from Plainfield, Illinois, was found dead in an off-campus apartment about 11:54 p.m. on August 30.
She was shot multiple times.
When police arrived, a 23-year-old male who was known to Welsh was also in the home and “it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two.”
‘Heartbreaking’
“Absolutely heartbreaking to receive a phone call like this one. Kara, you deserved the world and more,” shares Brooks, who in her earlier years trained with Welsh at the Aspire Gymnastics Academy. “Wish I could just see you one more time. Wish I could laugh with you just one more time. Wish I could hug you one more time.”
Aspire also shared several photos of the star gymnast along with a touching tribute for the young woman on their Facebook site.
“As Kara grew, so did Aspire. She was a constant in a sport that is filled with ups and downs. She was full of life and full of personality,” the training center writes. “Kara had a way of communicating through facial expressions that was second to none. Aspire lost a piece of its heart today. Kara, we love you.”
Corey King, chancellor at UWW, released a statement on August 31 and calling Welsh “a standout member of the Warhawk gymnastics team,” he shares that “news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community.”
“I hate that evil touched this sweet girl’s life,” writes a friend on Facebook, who shares the tribute posted by Aspire. Referring to Welsh’s sister Kaeli, the netizen continues, “The Welsh girls showed us how to be gym sisters but so much more. Kara was all heart. The loss is unfathomable.”
‘I beat myself up’
Police have not yet released the name of the suspect as he has not yet been officially charged.
But friends reveal the pair were dating, and the man, identified as Chad Richards, was helping Welsh move into her apartment.
“Sometimes I beat myself up, if I was able to see them that day maybe…just one more joke one more memory we could make…could change…” says Brayten Wilkerson, a friend of both Welsh and the suspect, who was a member of UWW wrestling team. Speaking with ABC affiliate WISN, Wilkerson continues, “Kara was a sweetheart. She was one of the best people you could meet. Her family did a great job raising her – a wonderful woman.”
A woman hid several boxes in her attic from her husband for 40 years
American Kris Bresnan kept a secret from her husband for forty years. Her husband was finally going to find out what was in all the boxes that had been stored in the attic for so long.When they fell in love in 1975—which is really when the story of the boxes began—the two decided to take a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan New York City.
She told Kris’s husband Bill that she loved him and that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him when he offered her a napkin during the holidays. He wrote the infinite sign at the end. They were having fun and laughing that day.
Bill has made it a daily ritual to surprise his wife with a letter, a love note, or postcards expressing his feelings for Kris, the most important person in his life. For forty years, he astonished his wife every day.
Kris kept all of the notes and letters that Bill had given him for forty years, not realizing that he had hidden them in the attic in no fewer than twenty-five big boxes.
Kris revealed to her husband the true reason she had stopped him from going up to the attic to check inboxes at their 40th wedding anniversary celebration.
When he was instructed to look into the crates, he was speechless. That his wife would hide all those letters there and keep them for so long was beyond his comprehension.
Experiencing difficulty in articulating his appreciation for this remarkable event, the man sobbed and embraced his spouse. throughout the holiday, in a quiet place, the two read aloud to each other the things that Bill had spoken to Kris throughout the years. They relived treasured events and celebrated their 40th anniversary in style in the interim.
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