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Matthew Lee Richards, a youth pastor from Shawnee, Kansas, is accused of attacking his wife and children before setting their house on fire on Saturday, September 16, 2023. The 41-year-old was arrested and charged before he was booked into Johnson County Jail. A $5 million bond is also issued in Richards' name. Matthew's arraignment was scheduled for Monday, September 18, at 1:30 pm local time.
While the victims of Matthew Lee Richards' attack survived, they did sustain several laceration injuries of varying degrees. The victims include Richards' wife and their five children.
Youth Pastor Matthew Lee Richards allegedly stabbed his entire family including his five children
Responding officers arrived at the Richards' home on the 6600 block of Goode Drive at around 3:47 am local time on Saturday after a house fire was reported. Firefighters confirmed that the fire was set in the basement of the house, and they were able to extinguish it immediately. Following that, they found seven individuals in the house. They included Matthew Lee Richards, his wife, and their five children, all of whom were rushed to a nearby hospital.
It was alleged that Matthew stabbed his five children and wife before he set off the fire. Police have since arrested and charged him with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson with the risk of bodily harm. While two of his minor children and a 19-year-old child were released from the hospital, Richards' wife and the other two kids are still admitted.
Matthew Lee Richards is the youth pastor at the Crossroads Christian Church. According to a statement released by the Crossroad Christian Church's senior pastor, Kurt Witten, they are aware of the allegations against Matthew. He said that the church is gathering more details before issuing a full statement.
"Please be respectful of this situation, as it is still an ongoing investigation. And please join us in praying for the Richards family during this time," the senior pastor of the church said in his statement.
Witten further added that owing to the "sensitive nature of this situation," they wouldn't livestream their Sunday Service.
Richards has also been a teacher at several schools while being a youth pastor
According to the suspect's bio on the church's official website, he is described as a "big kid who loves teaching little kids about Jesus." It has also been revealed that Richards has been married to his wife since 2003.
The Shawnee Mission Post has reported that Richards has been working as a seventh-grade English teacher at Christ Prep Academy. He has also taught at schools in Dallas and Austria.
The family's neighbor, Jennifer Eggerman spoke about the incident and said that it was sad as they had seen the children playing in their driveway with their family. She added that they had also seen Matthew walking the kids "up and down the street" with their dogs.
The case and the allegations against Richards are being investigated by several law enforcement agencies including the Shawnee Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Shawnee Fire Department.
As of right now, Matthew Lee Richards is being held in the Johnson County Jail.
