New Details Revealed In Murder of College Gymnast, as Boyfriend Says He 'Feared for His Life'

According to court docs, Kara Welsh was shot eight times -- with some wounds sustained while in the fetal position -- and was "lying on the floor in a pool of blood" when police arrived at the scene.

New details have emerged following the shooting death of 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast Kara Welsh.

Welsh's boyfriend Chad T. Richards, who faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety while armed, and disorderly conduct while armed, appeared in court Friday in the case.

Along with his virtual court appearance -- during which a preliminary hearing was set for October 28 -- the criminal complaint was released, shedding more light into what allegedly went down the night of Welsh's death.

Police initially responded to a call about a gunshot wound, allegedly made by Richards, on August 30. "Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two," authorities said at the time

When police arrived, according to the new docs via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Richards was in the apartment building hallway crying, while Welsh was found "lying on the floor in a pool of blood."

Per cops, Richards said the two were arguing and, at one point, he got so mad he punched the door. He allegedly said Welsh grabbed his handgun from the nightstand and it was during this fight that he wrestled it away from her and fired "because he feared for his life."

The docs state some of the shots were fired at Welsh while she was in the fetal position. A medical examiner said Welsh was shot eight times, with gunshot wounds to the neck, torso and extremities -- while 11 spent casings were found in the apartment.

Richards, who was a communications student at the same school and was on the wrestling team, remains in custody, with bail set at $1 million.

Welsh, meanwhile, was remembered by the school's gymnastics team in a statement. According to the department, she was a national champion and two-time All-American gymnast.

"A phenom on the vault, Welsh holds four of the top eight scores recorded by a Warhawk gymnast in program history on the apparatus," read the statement. "In addition to her high-caliber gymnastics, Welsh was a dedicated and supportive teammate. Her big personality and passion for motivating those around her helped her teammates succeed."

Per the department, Welsh was majoring in business management and helped lead the school's gymnastics program to a number of championship wins.