Former pastor who attacked family, set house on fire to hide financial troubles, pleads guilty

    SHAWNEE, Kansas (KMBC) -- A former Shawnee, Kansas, children's pastor who attacked his family and set their house on fire to hide financial problems has pleaded guilty in connection with the incident.

Matthew Lee Richards was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson with risk of bodily harm after the Sept. 16, 2023, incident that occurred at their Johnson County home.

Police said at the time that the victims were his wife and their five children.

On Tuesday, the Johnson County Prosecutor's Office said Richards entered guilty pleas to two counts of attempted first degree murder in this case.

Probable cause documents state police received several 911 calls about a house fire that day, and a child called 911 to say their father was chasing them with a knife. Another caller told police she had been stabbed.

When police arrived, they quickly found three victims with stab wounds waiting for help outside the house. Smoke could be seen coming from inside the house, and emergency crews stated they heard an explosion coming from the garage at the same time the garage doors bowed out.

Police said an adult female, believed to be Richards' wife, and two children were rushed to an area hospital in critical condition with life-threatening stab wounds.

Another child told police that the family had been in bed "when dad came around stabbing everyone" when they all ran outside.

Two other juvenile-aged children and one adult child were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Documents say police ordered Richards to come outside and he was taken into custody. After he was medically cleared, he told investigators, "I stabbed my family."

Richards explained to police that he had not been honest with his wife regarding their financial situation, and the family was expected to be evicted that very day. They hadn't packed and were unaware of the situation.

Documents say Richards formulated a plan to burn down their house earlier in the evening. He set the fire first, then got a knife. Richards said memories of the incident came in flashes from there, but he remembered thinking that he was a monster, and that he'd thought it would be better if they all died rather than waiting for his kids and wife having to deal with the trauma of finding out the truth.

At the time of the incident, Richards was a children's pastor at Crossroads Christian Church.

The Church said in a statement:

“The Crossroads Christian Church family is shocked, sickened, and saddened by the events involving our former children’s pastor. This is a tragedy beyond what any of us could have imagined. We give our full cooperation and support to the Shawnee Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department as they conduct their investigation.

We are offering support and resources to the members of the Richards Family who are victimized and their extended family. The road to recovery will be long-physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Please respect their privacy as they walk this incredibly challenging and painful road. Please join us as we continue to pray for and stand with them.

We also ask for your respect and prayers for the many children and families affected by this incident. We are all grieving with our dear friends who are deeply hurting in so many ways.

Crossroads Christian Church will offer grief counseling for children and families in the coming days and weeks.”

Crossroads Church Pastor Kurt Witten says all the injured family members will survive, including Richards’ wife who was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Witten also said he had no idea the family faced eviction, or he would’ve helped.

“We were totally caught off guard and shocked by what happened,” he said.

Witten said as Children’s Pastor for the last seven years at the church, Richards was responsible for ministry of pre-k through 5th graders.

Richards is scheduled for sentencing on March 26.