A former Shawnee youth pastor and teacher pleaded guilty this week to two counts of attempted murder for trying to stab his wife and children to death and set their family home on fire in 2023.
On Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, Matthew Lee Richards entered guilty pleas for two counts of attempted first-degree murder, both level 1 felonies, the most severe level of felony in Kansas.
The two counts were amended from a series of charges originally pressed in September 2023, that included five counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder and one count of aggravated arson with risk of bodily harm.
During the plea hearing Tuesday, Richards, shackled and clad in a green jail uniform, kept his words to a minimum, only affirming Judge Jason B. Billam’s questions, including his understanding about waiving his right to a fair trial and his satisfaction with his attorney.
The crimes occurred in September 2023
In the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 2023, Shawnee Police were called to the Richards family home at 6602 Goode Dr. following several 911 calls about a house fire and reports of someone chasing people with a knife, according to a probable cause statement.
When police arrived, they discovered three victims with stab wounds waiting for help outside the house, the report stated. They also found Richards inside the house.
Richards’ wife and three of their five children were transported to area hospitals with life-threatening stab wounds.
Another child and the couple’s 19-year-old son were also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
After police ordered Richards to come outside of the home, he complied and was transported to an area hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation. He was later taken into custody and charged.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, which originated in the basement around a pile of clothing and wood, according to the affidavit.
Officers also reported the sound of an explosion from the garage and that the garage doors were bowed out.
Richards allegedly admitted the crime to police
When speaking to police, Richards said he had been dishonest with his wife about their finances and that they were expected to be evicted the day of the crime, according to the affidavit.
None of his family members had their belongings packed, and all were unaware of the situation.
To avoid eviction, Richards created a plan to burn down their house earlier in the evening, the affidavit said. After he set the fire, he grabbed a knife and began attacking his family.
“I stabbed my kids, detective. I stabbed my wife,” he told police, according to the affidavit.
Richards told police that he doesn’t remember stabbing the children but does recall one of his sons asking him, “Dad, why do you have the knife?”
“The defendant admitted to having the thought that it would be better if they all died rather than for his kids to have to deal with the trauma of finding out the truth and for his wife to find out the truth,” the affidavit said.
Richards was a youth pastor at a Shawnee church and a teacher
Richards was once the children’s pastor at Crossroads Christian Church, 5855 Renner Rd., in Shawnee, according to a now-deleted online bio on the church’s website.
After Richards was charged, Kurt Witten, the church’s senior pastor, released a statement on Facebook:
“The Crossroads Christian Church family is shocked, sickened, and saddened by Saturday morning’s 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.”
The church also stated it was offering its support to the Richards family and asked its members to stand with them and pray for them.
Richards was also employed as an English teacher at Christ Prep Academy, 15700 W. 87th Street Pkwy., in Lenexa.
Richards was emotional in court
As Judge Billam went through Richards’ legal rights and what he was agreeing to in the plea agreement, Richards gave quick, hushed affirmatives to every question.
After pleading guilty to the two felony counts, Richards let out a heavy, audible sigh and placed his forehead down on the table in front of himself and his attorney, Dionne Scherff. He wiped tears away from his face.
Once Richards’ pleas were entered, Scherff and Assistant District Attorneys Will Hurst and Lauren Young agreed to an hour-long sentencing hearing at 2:30 p.m. on March 26 to allow for members of Richards’ family to give victim impact statements.
Go deeper: Shawnee man tried to kill family to avoid truth about financial troubles, the affidavit says
