Pastor charged with attempted murder in Shawnee fire, attack that left several injured
A 41-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his wife and setting their Shawnee house on fire Saturday morning, according to police.
Matthew Lee Richards was charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated arson with risk of bodily harm according to a post by the Shawnee, Kansas, Police Department.
Richards is a children’s pastor at the Crossroads Christian Church in Shawnee, Kurt Witten, a senior pastor, said in a statement.
Shawnee police and fire departments were called at 3:47 a.m. to the 6600 block of Goode Drive on reports of a disturbance and a house fire.
The home is near Rhein Benninghoven Elementary and Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.
Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire in the basement.
Seven people were transported to area hospitals for treatment, including one suspect. All the victims suffered lacerations of varying severity.
The woman believed to be Richards’ wife and two of their children remained in an area hospital Saturday afternoon. Two other juveniles and a 19-year-old have been released from the hospital.
Richards’ bond has been set at $5 million. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Investigators were not searching for other suspects Saturday evening. A portion of the 6600 block of Goode Drive has remained closed as the Shawnee Police Department, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Shawnee Fire Department continued to investigate.
This story was originally published September 16, 2023 at 4:56 PM.
